Race Preview - Saturday 22nd August
By David Hucker
Jump racing returned from its summer break at Perth last weekend and Newton Abbot opens its doors again this Saturday with a six-race card featuring the £30,000 Aubrey Loze Memorial Handicap Hurdle.
The meeting comes at the start of National Racehorse Week, a nationwide celebration of racehorses highlighting their care, training, and welfare. Nearly 100 venues across Great Britain, including training yards, studs, and aftercare centres, will be open free to the public.
The feature contest over two and three-quarter miles has attracted 16 entries including full sisters Letterston Lady and Letterston Lily trained by Mikey Bowen. Lambourn trainer Faye Bramley also has two in Kom Tu Voudras, who made all the running to win at Worcester in June in the well-known colours of J P McManus, and Zillow. Newton Abbot regulars will have seen Time To Bite, trained by Chris Honour at Ashburton, running over hurdles and fences a number of times, but Honour's other entry, Bold Endeavour, has yet to run over the course.
Handlethekettle, four times a winner over hurdles, has not been seen since July last year and the one who could come out on top is dual course winner Supreme Yeats. Trainer Dan Skelton, who is chasing Martin Pipe's all-time record of 243 winners in a season, went into the break with 65 on the board and was quick out of the blocks with two winners at Market Rasen when racing resumed.
The action starts at 1.55pm with the Celebrating National Racehorse Week Novices' Hurdle in which the hat-trick seeking Kings Scholar, trained by Olly Murphy, would set the standard. Course regular Ask Peter, also entered at Stratford on Thursday and in the fourth here, is still looking for her first jumps win after twelve attempts and Skelton has entered two in wide-margin Cartmel winner Gambino and Stratford winner Playful Fox, who also has an entry at Worcester on Sunday.
Lambourn trainer Nick Scholfield, who has clocked up eight winners already this season, has entered three in the Happy 80th Birthday John Lane Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Chase over three and a quarter miles. Premier Fantasy, placed in both his starts over the course, has a bit to find on his running behind My Girl Katie last time and, if running here in preference to Stratford, she could come out on top again.
Beorma won seven races in a row for trainer Dan Skelton, including over the course in June, and, after a two-month break, is entered in the Philip Wilson Memorial Novices' Limited Handicap Chase. Fences and hurdles seem to come alike to her and Skelton has also entered her in the closing race over the smaller obstacles. Gore Point and Skelton's other entry Ice Jet, who was running well at Uttoxeter before the race was stopped and declared void, are also worth a look.
There are 25 entries in the Torbay Weekly Handicap Hurdle over two and a half miles including six course winners in Cogital, God Of Fire, Hillsin, Mi Sueno, Raffles Nobu and Saucats. Skelton can choose between Berry Edge, another who also holds a Stratford entry, and Time Interval and Hawa Jumeriah, who has been knocking on the door, could make the frame again.
Skelton has three entries, including Beorma, in the closing Sun Racing Summer Jumps Championship Handicap Hurdle. This could be a hot contest with three-time course winner Max Of Stars, dual course winner Arctic Voyage and another course winner in Donnie Azoff also amongst the entries.