Race Preview - Summer Jumps Championship Finale - Friday 18th September - UPDATED
By David Hucker
The Sun Racing Summer Jumps Championship, involving 16 racecourses and 84 fixtures, started at Worcester on 22 May and finishes at Newton Abbot on Friday with the Sun Racing Summer Jumps Championship Finale Handicap Hurdle over an extended two miles the closing race on a seven-race card.
Not surprisingly, Dan Skelton is already assured of the top trainer title and will be represented at the presentations by his assistant Tom Messenger. Harry Skelton will take home the top jockey prize to make it a family double but, with double points on offer, including 20 for the winner, it could get close in the race to be leading small trainer.
Going into Kelso's twilight meeting on Wednesday, David Pipe, who runs Ocean Heights, a course winner last time, led by two points from Micky Hammond, who is without a runner. He was eight points in front of Nick Scholfield, who runs Raffles Nobu, already a winner over the course once this season, and he needs to win again if Scholfield is to take the prize.
The meeting gets underway at 2.02pm with the Edmundson Electrical Cabletec Plymouth Maiden Hurdle over two miles, five and a half furlongs in which Skelton has chosen Depalma from his two entries. Runner-up to Limerick Leader over fences on his stable debut, he is still looking for his first win after 11 starts under Rules, but could break his duck this time at the expense of Irish-trained Penzance, five times a winner on the all-weather and placed in five of his eight hurdle starts. Devon Red has shown promise on his two previous course starts to suggest he will be in the shake-up.
The Skelton-trained dual winner Fine Thing tops the weights in the following Southlands Care Home Mares' Novices' Hurdle, but still looks the one to beat. Babs came good at the third time of asking over hurdles with a nine-length win at Worcester and Irish point-to-point winner Kamille Au Kanada beat her stable companion Arfursgal by 48 lengths at Plumpton but, with the runner-up well-beaten here in July, the form is difficult to weigh up.
Thickthorn Tom beat It's A Breeze over the course last month and they re-oppose in the £15,000 Devondale Novices' Limited Handicap Chase. The winner has since been beaten by Tamarind Bay at Bangor-on-Dee but, even with the weights favouring the runner-up, the ease of Thickthorn Tom's win suggests he could come out on top again. The field is made up by top-weight Intosomethinggood, a four-time winner over hurdles, who makes his chasing debut.
Flashy Boy, a 12-length winner on his last visit to the course, could double-up in the Bayside Signs & Display Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Chase over three and a quarter miles. Chasing debutant Broadway Honey runs in this race rather than a later contest and Testflight would have a good chance if reproducing the form that saw him beat My Girl Katie over the course 14 months ago, but has failed to score in eight races since.
Also worth £15,000 is the Colin Willcocks Memorial Handicap Hurdle which has attracted seven runners including Stratford winner Rebel Tribesman. Kam Tu Voudras, a faller in the race won by Rebel Tribesman, has been raised 5lbs in the weights for her win at Fontwell Park and Service Minimum, Skelton's choice from four entries, needs to bounce back from a disappointing run last time.
Mr McWhinny, who beat My Cullen at the last meeting, can reaffirm the form in the Tony McCarthy Handicap Chase and complete a hat-trick. He carries a 7lb penalty for his win at Sedgefield on Monday, but is in a rich vein of form and can give trainer Tom Ellis his ninth winner of the season.
Rock Atlantic provide the live music after racing in the latest in the season's Party at the Paddock series.