Midlands National - Uttoxeter - 3.35pm
UTTOXETER 3.35 Midlands National
Cheltenham went ahead despite all of the concerns over covid-19 but there is a good chance that Uttoxeter may stage the last big handicap race in the UK for some weeks. The Midland Grand National is a real test of stamina and is, very often, run in heavy ground.
14 runners are set to go to post but there are plenty of enhanced place offers around so it is worth shopping around. The handicaps at Cheltenham this week have been fairly compressed but this is certainly not the case here with 40lbs separating the top and bottom horses in terms of ratings.
The presence of Ladbroke Trophy hero DE RASHER COUNTER means that 4 of the field have to run from out of the handicap and the Emma Lavelle charge even has to give away almost a stone to the second horse in the weights. He is, undoubtedly, the class act in the race but it will be a huge performance if he were to win this race under the weight and in the conditions. On the positive side, he does have form in heavy ground and did win the novice handicap at this meeting 12 months ago carrying top weight. His excellent conditional jockey is also able to claim 3lbs off his back. Following his Ladbroke triumph, he was tried in the grade 2 Cotswold Chase in January but found that a little too hot so reverts back into handicap company again.
Also in The Ladbroke Trophy in November, 17 lengths behind DE RASHER COUNTER in 7th place, was former Scottish National winner JOE FARRELL. He, obviously, should not have any doubts with regards to the trip but the big doubt could be the suitability of the ground. His trainer is having an excellent season, following 2 rather barren years, and boasts a strike-rate of 26% for the campaign as a whole. The stable signalled their well-being by landing the Stayers Hurdle at Cheltenham on Thursday too.
A horse that has been well supported in the build-up to this race is TRUCKERS LODGE. Trained by Paul Nicholls, this novice is only 2lbs higher than when finishing 2nd in The Welsh National in December. He proved that he acts on the ground that day and was still staying on at the line. He missed an intended engagement in the Haydock Grand National Trial a few weeks ago, due to a minor setback, but that does mean he arrives here a fresh horse. He looks a big player in this.
Two places behind TRUCKERS LODGE at Chepstow was PRIME VENTURE and he also occupied 4th spot in this race last season off 4lbs higher. He is a horse who will keep plugging on in the testing ground and looks best suited by extreme tests of stamina. He is yet to win in 11 attempts over fences but does run some consistent races. For that reason he does not tend to get too much help from the handicapper but he is now on the same mark as at Chepstow and connections are trying cheekpieces for the first time in a bid to eke out a little more. The trainer has a good record when applying this aid for the first time and the horse is definitely one for the final short list.
There are a few progressive staying chasers in here who need to be taken seriously and one of them is CHRISTMAS IN APRIL. He has risen up the ratings this season by 18lbs and won 3 of his 5 starts, including both the Sussex and Devon Nationals. He seems to have improved the more he has been stepped up in trip and certainly shapes as if this trip should be within his range. Richard Johnson takes the ride but there must be a question mark over the form of the stable given how a number of their horses performed this week at Cheltenham.
Another who has progressed this term, going up 22lbs in the handicap, is VERY FIRST TIME. Previously with Tim Easterby, he has been rejuvenated since switching to Dan Skelton and won 3 of his last 4 starts. He was well fancied for The Eider, which was abandoned 3 weeks ago, but comes here instead some 4lbs out of the handicap. He has won 3 times on heavy going, so conditions should be fine, but he still has to prove he really stays extreme distances such as this. The record of both the trainer and jockey at the course, over fences, is second to none and his feather-weight will be a benefit. Despite the steep rise in his handicap mark he is now only back to the sort of level he was some 2 years ago before he rather lost his way a little towards the end of his stay with Tim Easterby. The Skelton yard have proven in the past they can revive horses and this one looks another example of that. He jumps soundly and is another for the short-list.
Another trainer with a good record at Uttoxeter is Harry Fry and he runs CAPTAIN DRAKE here. This 7 year-old has had only 4 runs over fences, winning one on New Years Day at Exeter. The 3rd horse that day has since franked the form by winning at Warwick last Sunday and the horse who finished 2nd is a bit of a course specialist at Exeter so it was a decent performance on the face of it. He looks a stayer but is yet to actually prove himself at the trip and, with 2 unseats already, his jumping has to be a concern around this track. He has a nice weight with his jockey claiming 5lbs and he is 2/2 on heavy ground.
With the emphasis on stamina here, one that leaps off the page to me is PETITE POWER. He is another who has been in good form so far this season with wins at Cheltenham and Uttoxeter followed by a narrow defeat at Exeter and a very creditable performance last time at Warwick. He finished 3rd that day and split Captain Chaos, who subsequently went on to win The Grimthorpe at Doncaster by over 50 lengths, and The Conditional who, of course, claimed The Ultima Chase at Cheltenham this week. That's good form for sure. He was actually dropped 1lb following that run but has to run from 1lb out of the handicap here so, effectively, runs off the same mark. His conditional jockey, and regular pilot, claims 7lbs so he has a really low weight of just 9st 7lbs to carry here. He has winning form at this course, winning here in heavy ground in November, and has always looked to have finished his races off well when running at distances beyond 3 miles.
In summary, this looks a decent renewal of the race and the presence of DE RASHER COUNTER means a good proportion of the field will get to run carrying very low weights. That has to be a big help in the likely testing conditions and, therefore, whilst I respect the chances of TRUCKERS LODGE, my eyes are drawn to those lower down the weights with proven form in the ground. PETITE POWER is certainly one of those and he looks as though he will relish every yard of the trip too. PRIME VENTURE also features prominently on the short-list but, although there is a small reservation about the trip, I am also going to side with VERY FIRST TIME at the prices. He is an improved horse since switching trainer and the vibes that surrounded him for The Eider suggest that the yard think he is capable of running well in a race such as this. He jumps soundly and may still have more improvement to come. He’s worth an each-way pick with the enhanced places on offer.
If either of the main selections did not line up then I would draft in PRIME VENTURE as a replacement pick.
TIPS - Very First Time + Petite Power - 1 point each way (if either is a n/r substitute with Prime Venture)