Timeform Debate 
/ Timeform / 05 March 2012 / Leave a Comment 
Can Junior win at Royal Ascot, Cheltenham and Aintree?
"Junior was under pressure a long way out but did his Grand National claims no harm for all that his jumping wasn't impeccable..."
Timeform give an overview of the weekend's racing, featuring a number of horses with the upcoming Festivals on their agenda...
It was Greatwood day at Newbury on Saturday and the Gold Cup Handicap Chase went the way of Aerial for Messrs Nicholls and Walsh. Having looked held when not fluent four out, Aerial was the recipient of a vintage ride and got up in the shadow of the post, the 3 lb he had been dropped since his last run enough to make the difference. Short-head runner-up Dan Breen bounced back to form, settling better than has often been the case, while Rileyev showed more stamina than he had previously, sticking to his task in typical fashion to edge out last year's winner Fine Parchment for third.
Earlier on the card, last year's Grand National fifth Niche Market had teed himself up for a return bid with a narrow second to the better-than-ever Marufo in the veterans' handicap chase. The former may be winless since his 2009 Irish National victory but he should give his Aintree supporters a run for their money come April 14. Fellow National possibles Hello Bud and Fair Along finished fourth and fifth respectively, while the lacklustre Blazing Bailey was promptly retired after being pulled up.
Benbens built on his solid effort on his latest outing when seeing things out well to take the Betfair-sponsored handicap hurdle over three miles, whilst French recruit Balgarry defied a massive market drift on his first start for David Pipe to run out a comfortable winner of the two-mile handicap hurdle, suggesting his entries in the Coral Cup and Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' race are not at all frivolous.
The feature up at Doncaster was the Grimthorpe Chase, a class 2 handicap over three and a quarter miles. With the strong-travelling Pentiffic falling at the last (albeit having looked as if coming to the end of his tether), the race fell into the lap of Ikorodu Road and Junior, the former getting the verdict in a photo finish. Junior was under pressure a long way out but did his Grand National claims no harm for all that his jumping wasn't impeccable, whilst the winner gained a belated first victory over fences and looks well worth trying over the four miles of the Scottish National.
There were also comfortable wins for Corkage, who defied career-high mark in the opening three-mile handicap hurdle, the unbeaten Aland Islands, who successfully returned from four months off in the two-and-a-half mile novice hurdle, and Ultimate, who took advantage of only half the fences being jumped (due to low sun) in the extended two-mile handicap chase.
Further north at Kelso, Master of The Hall was a ready winner of the two-and-three-quarter-mile Premier Chase, travelling easy under a patient ride before responding generously to Tony McCoy's urgings late on. However, for most watchers the race was more about the return of Grand National winner Ballabriggs, who travelled with typical zest before making an uncharacteristic error at the eleventh and seemingly failed for match fitness in the closing stages. Fellow National entry According To Pete stuck on doggedly for second after forfeiting the lead with a mistake at the ninth.
The track also staged the Grade 2 Premier Kelso Hurdle for novices, which saw Lucinda Russell's Tap Night step up significantly to secure his yard's second successive win in the race, staying on strongly to defeat of Tolworth scorer Captain Conan and Bury Parade. Cheltenham is now being considered for him, as it is for handicap chase winner Red Tanber, whose sound jumping enabled him to overcome a drop back in trip to record his fifth win in his last six starts.
There was also intriguing action internationally with Godolphin's It's Tricky (Top Flight Handicap), Calibrachoa (Tom Fool Handicap) and Breeders' Cup Juvenile hero Hansen (Gotham Stakes - read the review HERE) each winning graded events on dirt at Aqueduct, and Dubai World Cup hopeful Cirrus des Aigles getting turned over by German raider Zazou in a fibresand minor event at Chantilly.
Even further afield, Sheikh Mohammed experienced the ups and downs of racing when his outsider Raspberries won the seven-furlong Group 3 at Flemington just 80 minutes after his Dubai-bound favourite Helmet had finished 12th of 16 to Mosheen in the Group 1 Australian Guineas on the same card.
In keeping with most Sunday's, Ireland provided the best action with Jessie Harrington's Champion Bumper fancy Jezki comfortable remaining unbeaten in two and Leanne upholding the form of her Clonmel win by following up in the Carrickmines Handicap Chase. Pittoni justified favouritism in the Ballsbridge Hurdle but was dismounted lame shortly after the race.
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Timeform Horses to Follow 2012 is out now! Includes Fifty to follow on the Flat, top trainer interviews & much more! Click HERE for more information.
With the new Flat turf season rapidly approaching, Timeform launch their latest 'Horses to Follow' publication, containing Fifty of the best prospects for 2012, plus big-name interviews and much, much more. It's out on March 3rd, ready for the Lincoln, in good time for the Guineas, and still only £8.95....
If the worst comes to the worst and Kauto Star is forced to miss the Gold Cup, then it's a simple task for Long Run and Sam Waley-Cohen. Or is it? Timeform Chief Correspondent Jamie Lynch gets on his bike to find out......
Timeform look ahead to a weekend featuring a number of Grand National hopefuls running at Newbury and Kelso on Saturday, as well as quality Irish and International action on Sunday......
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