THERE was plenty for jumps fans to get their teeth into in the period under review, with arguably the best performer on view being the Cheltenham Festival winner Sire Du Berlais.
He took a strongly run Lismullen Hurdle at Navan by half a length from French Dynamite (151) – with 153-rated Ronald Pump staying on in third when falling at the last – and remains on 159 despite not quite having to run to that here.
The other graded races at Navan fell to N’Golo (For Auction Novice Hurdle, 136) and Castlegrace Paddy (Fortria Chase, 155), the former in a slow overall time compared to the rest of the card.
The Jam Man (146) landed a right old punt in the Ladbrokes Troytown Handicap Chase by fully 18 lengths in a well-run affair, while Easywork did not have to run especially fast (138) to win the beginners’ chase, but he and runner-up Embittered (135) are likely capable of a good deal better.
Useful winners were in evidence at Wincanton in the shape of Sceau Royal (156) in the Unibet Elite Hurdle and Ga Law (143) in the Rising Stars Novices’ Chase, though neither was left with a great deal to beat in all probability.
El Presente (145) seemed a fortunate winner of the Badger Beers Silver Trophy Handicap Chase after Sizing At Midnight (139) tipped up three out when long odds on.
Smart performers
The hurdle race won by Summerville Boy at Aintree had no graded or listed status but attracted a handful of smart performers and it took a 150-rated effort to come out on top in it.
Other very useful Aintree winners came in the shape of the 12-year-old Unowhatimeanharry (152) in the Pertemps Handicap Hurdle Qualifier, Modus (147) in the 20-furlong handicap chase, and The Big Bite (144) in the 16-furlong handicap chase.
Newbury’s midweek card featured promising winning performances from Kalooki (144) in a beginners’ chase, Simonsig’s half-brother Dusart (132) in a novice hurdle and Petrossian (122) in the first of two divisions of a bumper.
Allmankind (138, Warwick) and Hitman (141, Ffos Las) would have won their novice chases even without their overly generous allowances as four-year-olds, but that certainly promises to make their passages smoother hereafter.