Newbury Friday
THE Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase has been one of the more fruitful Cheltenham Festival Grade 1s for British-based trainers in recent times - keeping seven of the last 11 renewals on home soil - and The Jukebox Man emerged as an extremely legitimate candidate for Britain in the 2025 renewal through a ready comeback victory at Newbury.
Second in the Grade 1 Albert Bartlett at Cheltenham and Grade 1 Sefton Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree on his final two starts last term, the Ben Pauling-trained six-year-old made a highly pleasing transition to fences when capturing Friday’s Grade 2 Coral John Francome Novices’ Chase on his chasing bow.
Joining a smart roll of honour for the race, which includes the likes of Denman, Bobs Worth, Coneygree, Clan Des Obeaux and Champ, Harry Redknapp’s smart stayer was cut to 10/1 (from 25/1) for the Brown Advisory after this two-and-a-half-mile success.
Winning rider Ben Jones clearly got a massive kick out of the two-length victory as 9/4 favourite. Main market rival Captain Teague, who was beaten 19 lengths in fourth, returned lame.
Pauling was quick to compare the point-to-point graduate to one of his old stable stars in the aftermath of this performance, and suggested he may not necessarily have to go up to the Brown Advisory distance.
“Barters Hill was an exceptional talent and I think he might be the same,” said the four-time Cheltenham Festival-winning trainer.
“There’s loads to work on, he was a bit close to the first few and was almost in hurdling mode. Ben then did well to rein him in and just pop him down the back. He’s a big horse, that’s his first run of the season and he’s going to improve a ton. All mine do, so it could be quite exciting, hopefully.
“I had in my head he wasn’t just a dour stayer, he’s slow at home but on the track he finds another gear and I thought he had a touch of class, so dropping him back to two and a half was always my plan.
“I was unsure on this ground we’d have the gears, but we did and it opens up a lot of options. We’ll see what we do between now and March.”
FAIRYHOUSE unfortunately sees a disappointing turnout numerically for this weekend’s Hatton’s Grace Hurdle, where just four go to post, but the issue of small fields for graded races also very much applies to Britain - as Friday’s Grade 2 Coral Long Distance Hurdle proved.
The Olly Murphy-trained Strong Leader, ridden by Sean Bowen, took advantage of an excellent opportunity in the four-runner affair worth £60,000.
Owned by the Welfordgolf Syndicate, he was sent off the 4/7 favourite and kept on well to get the better of last season’s Pertemps Final winner Monmiral by three and a half lengths, while back-to-back Coral Cup scorer Langer Dan was a further nine lengths adrift on his seasonal reappearance in third.
Some firms were more impressed than others by last season’s Grade 1 Liverpool Hurdle winner. Paddy Power cut him to 8/1 (from 12/1) for their own sponsored Stayers’ Hurdle, while Bet365 only trimmed him to 12/1 (from 14/1).
“I must admit I didn’t enjoy today, I felt a lot of pressure and I don’t usually - it’s the first time I’ve had a drink at the races in a long time!” quipped Murphy.
“I’m pleased to get that out of the way. It was obviously his first start of the season and I had him as fit as I could get him at home without killing him with work.
“He’s as good a staying, three-mile hurdler as we’ve got this side of the water by the looks of things at the moment and hopefully we can keep progressing. The plan would be to go to Ascot at Christmas [for the Long Walk Hurdle], albeit we’ve never won right-handed and it didn’t look like it suited him last year in the Coral Hurdle over two and a half miles.”
On his Cheltenham prospects, Murphy added: “Is he going to have to improve to beat Teahupoo? No doubt he will, but it’s only his third start at three miles.”
RACING opened with a double for the Paul Nicholls/Harry Cobden alliance, both in the colours of the Ferguson, Mason, Hales, Hogarth and Smith partnership.
Regent’s Stroll (4/11) made it three from three in the opening Coral-backed maiden hurdle over an extended two miles, scoring by nine lengths despite a mistake at the second last. The Walk In The Park five-year-old had memorably gone through the ring for £660,000 at Goffs UK Summer Sale in July.
A brace for connections was completed when last season’s Adonis Juvenile Hurdle winner Kalif Du Berlais (10/11) captured the Coral Racing Club Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase over an extended two miles - bouncing back from a heavy fall on his chasing debut at Carlisle earlier this month.