Doncaster Saturday

William Hill Futurity Stakes

HOTAZHELL (Jessica Harrington/Shane Foley) got the better of a ding-dong tussle with Delacroix (Aidan O’Brien/Ryan Moore) to win a thrilling renewal of the William Hill Futurity Trophy at Doncaster on Saturday. The Beresford Stakes winner was returned at a generous 11/1 and prevailed by just a nose in a finish worthy of the race’s status.

Seaplane set a strong pace from the outset but, as he began to weaken inside the last quarter mile, the principal pair came through to dominate the finish, with Delacroix leading around two furlongs out, but tending to shift to his right from that point.

This saw him lean slightly on Hotazhell, with the latter responding in tigerish fashion to the intimidation. He edged ahead 50 yards out, only for Delacroix to rally and both horses come out of the race with reputations enhanced.

Wimbledon Hawkeye (James Owen/James Doyle) was third, beaten four and three-quarter lengths by the front pair. He lost his pitch at halfway before staying on again and, while he coped with yielding ground in the Royal Lodge, this heavy ground looked against him.

He remains a bright prospect for next year, as does Seaplane, who was best of the rest and likely to need an even stiffer test in time. “He’s a smashing horse,” said Harrington. “He’s very, very tough and loves a battle. I don’t think he’ll ever win races by large margins.

“He loves just looking at the other horses and saying, ‘I’m better than you’. He’s a little bit feisty - he isn’t called Hotazhell for nothing.”

Regarding his prospects as a classic performer in the spring, she added: “We’ll start off over a mile and see how he develops over the winter. I think he’ll probably get a mile and a quarter; I’m not sure he’ll get a mile and a half, but you never know. He’s a very relaxed horse and he just might.”

Prospect Stakes

Trainer John Ryan is enjoying a productive autumn, and went close to a double at Doncaster, with The X O touched off in the six-furlong handicap and 13/2 chance La Bellota (Oisin Murphy) landing the Listed Prospect Stakes in first-time blinkers.

The Mill Reef runner-up was proven on testing ground. The gelding led after two furlongs and went clear two furlongs out.

He was closed down to a neck by runner-up Diego Ventura (Hamad Al Jehani/James Doyle), but never looked like being caught in truth. He was sold for 425,000gns during the week.

Newbury Saturday

THE 5/1 shot Make You Smile (Hugo Palmer) maintained his unbeaten record to land a gruelling renewal of the Group 3 Horris Hill Stakes, the contest run on heavy ground, as has become the norm.

The son of Mehmas was off the bridle before most and looked an unlikely winner, coming under pressure with a quarter of a mile to run, while favourite Yaroogh (William Haggas/Tom Marquand) led going well, but the leader had raced pretty freely without cover and Make You Smile kept going dourly and edged ahead on the line to triumph by a nose.

A winner over track and trip on his debut, Make You Smile is clearly suited by soft or heavy ground and looks to have more stamina than his speedy pedigree would suggest.

His dam was a five-furlong winner, but is a half-sister to David Wachman’s dual Royal Ascot winner Duntle, whose wins all came at a mile, and that trip looks likely to be Make You Smile’s optimum, for all he’s unlikely to make any ripples in the 2000 Guineas betting.

St Simon Stakes

The Group 3 St Simon Stakes proved an attritional test and that suited mudlark Max Vega (Ralph Beckett/Rob Hornby), with the seven-year-old winning the race for a second time, having triumphed at the same SP of 22/1 when beating Hamish two years ago; he was also a close second on his only other run in the race in 2021.

One of a trio for the Beckett yard, Max Vega was returning from an absence, having disappointed in the John Porter Stakes over course and distance in the spring, but was clearly ready to go and coped better with the conditions than all bar runner-up Danielle (John and Thady Gosden/Rab Havlin), who has also shown her best form in the mud.

The pair were separated by a length and a quarter at the line, with odds-on favourite Al Aasy another six and a half lengths behind, having found little under his penalty after typically travelling generously.

Cheltenham Saturday

THE Showcase meeting at Cheltenham is very much a gentle introduction to the jumps season at Britain’s premier jumps venue, and there were no major prizes on offer on Saturday, albeit with quality on show in a number of Class 2 events that dipped just under the blacktype watermark.

It was an excellent day for Irish trainers and that should come as no surprise, with the autumn programme in Ireland being much deeper than in Britain, where jumps racing only really lifts off in November.

The opening novices’ handicap chase was won by Lisnamult Lad (Ian Donoghue/Sean Bowen), who made all and found extra when challenged strongly by Weveallbeencaught (Christian Williams/Jack Tudor) in the straight to win by half a length, giving his talented handler a first Cheltenham success at the second attempt.

Riskintheground (Dan/Harry Skelton) was a two-and-three-quarter-length third, having been short of room on the turn and on the run-in and can be marked up for the effort.

The winner was with John McConnell last season, winning at Ludlow and Hexham in the autumn, but he looks even better over fences on this evidence and, for a small gelding, he jumped the stiff Cheltenham fences very well.

McConnell on the mark

McConnell himself was on the mark in the following race, a three-mile novices’ hurdle, with the well-bred Intense Approach (Harry Cobden) winning by six lengths from the sole British representative Hauraki Golf (Deborah Cole/Chris Ward), who edged out the Ross O’Sullivan-trained Donnie Devito (Tom Harney) for second.

Intense Approach has been learning all the time over hurdles, his technique needing practice, but he avoided errors here and was a third winner in the race for McConnell after Streets Of Doyen and Bardenstown Lad, with all three of the winners sporting the colours of Caroline Ahearn.

Both Bardenstown Lad and Streets Of Doyen went on to be placed in the Albert Bartlett at the Festival in March, so connections will be hoping that Intense Approach – whose dam Intense Tango won the Grade 2 Yorkshire Rose Hurdle at Doncaster as well as the Old Borough Cup at Haydock on the level for Karl Burke – can match or better those achievements, although the trainer opined that he wouldn’t want winter ground and is likely to have a break until the spring.

Chief back on target

Senior Chief (Henry de Bromhead/Darragh O’Keeffe) failed to fire when fancied for the Irish Grand National in the spring, but quickly got back on the progressive trail when winning the three-mile, one-furlong handicap chase, with cheekpieces deployed for the first time.

The son of Gentlewave was always well-positioned behind Broadway Boy and Does He Know and went to the front early in the straight, pursued by stablemate The Short Go (Jordan Gainford), who looked a big danger when the leader put in an extra stride at the last, but Senior Chief rallied when joined for a length-and-a-quarter win, the pair pulling 11 lengths clear of Broadway Boy.

The winner was cut in places for the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury next month, and Henry de Bromhead’s words afterwards wouldn’t deter backers, for all he was non-committal on an immediate target.

“Senior Chief always looked like there was a big one in him,” said the trainer. “He was disappointing in the National, we gave him a good break, and I’m delighted.

“The plan was to win a big handicap, and we felt he was entitled to do that, and now we’ll see. The English National has always been in my head for him, but his run in the Irish threw me a little. He may be more a left-hander, I’m not sure.”

A four-timer for Irish trainers was completed when Gordon Elliott’s The Wallpark (Jordan Gainford) came from off the pace to win the Pertemps qualifier, beating Gowel Road (Nigel/Sam Twiston-Davies) and Zain Nights (Lucy Wadham/Tom Cannon) by two and a half lengths and four and a quarter lengths.

The winner is now guaranteed a run in March’s Pertemps Final although, with a revised BHA rating of 152, he doesn’t need such assurances.

Givemefive wins rematch

Low sun saw several hurdles omitted in the Masterson Holdings Hurdle with a very long run from the last hurdle jumped (usual third last) to the line.

That made it slightly unsatisfactory, but it was run at a good gallop, with winner Givemefive (Harry Derham/Paul O’Brien) reversing Fairyhouse Easter form with odds-on favourite Bottler’secret (Gavin Cromwell/Keith Donoghue), the pair split here by Dodger Long (Harriet Dickin/Harry Cobden). The distances were a length and a quarter and half a length.

Givemefive had finished 14 and a half lengths behind Bottler’secret in the Grade 2 Percy Maynard Juvenile Hurdle at Fairyhouse, but had run better when second in the Adonis Hurdle at Kempton and, fit from a run on the flat at Haydock, he turned the tables.

Bottler’secret was a little disappointing, but he was racing on the fastest ground he’s tackled over hurdles and it’s not hard to find mitigation for this defeat.

“I’m really proud,” said Derham of the winner. “He’s never let us down and this was a plan we’ve had for a long time, and it’s paid off. I won’t do big handicaps until after Christmas - there’s a race for four-year-olds at Fairyhouse next month or we’ll leave him alone. He’s got good days ahead of him and I’d love to run him in a Betfair Hurdle.”

Aintree Sunday

Old Roan Limited Handicap Chase

RUNNER-up behind Jetoile in the 2023 edition, Minella Drama (Donald McCain/Brian Hughes) went one better than 12 months ago from a 6lb lower mark, when making all to win Sunday’s Virgin Bet Old Roan Limited Handicap Chase.

The nine-year-old was well-treated on historic form, despite being 1lb out of the handicap, and Hughes gave him a no-nonsense ride with his mount pretty much foot-perfect as he galloped home ahead of Hitman (Paul Nicholls) and an eye-catching Ahoy Senor (Lucinda Russell/Derek Fox), with the latter running on strongly having come in for a rather sympathetic ride.

The winner returned at 3/1, and the margins were one and three-quarter lengths and half a length.

McCain said: “It’s magic, he’s been a wonderful little horse, who has deserved his big day and there’s no better place for him to do it. It’s what it is all about and if we could pick and choose where for him to win, this would be the place. He’s got local owners and obviously we’re a local yard, so it’s very special.

“He’s got some good form here and was second in the Grade 1 novice hurdle, so obviously likes the place and I’m sure we will be coming back here at some point.”