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Horse racing: Zar Kan prove star of a Newbury feast
It’s likely have been eight days since any English jumping action so it’s vital that tomorrow’s stellar Newbury card gets the green light.
Not just from an enjoyment factor either with Zarkandar looking a great bet in the Betfair Hurdle at 3.45pm. This French import has won three from three since joining Paul Nicholls – including the Triumph Hurdle – and the Ditcheat handler believes this five-year-old is good enough to land the Champion Hurdle.
If that’s true then he is going to hack up tomorrow racing off 11st 1lbs with even those at the bottom of the weights getting a maximum of a stone from him.
That’s a reasonable amount of weight but the likelihood is Zarkandar is top class whereas the rest are just handicappers and, barring any mishaps, he should collect under Ruby Walsh with the 10-3 advised in yesterday’s Horses For Courses column already gone. Still, Zarkandar is still backable at 3s and that will look very big if Nicholls gets the performance he expects.
Darlan will obviously get a fair bit of attention, being unbeaten and representing Tony McCoy, Nicky Henderson and JP McManus, and some will consider the 9-1 about him huge but just from past comments you get the sense this is not a true top notcher.
The quietly progressive Raya Star, racing off just 10st 3lbs for the in-form Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson team, looks much the best alternative at 8-1 but the word is that Zarkandar is different class to this bunch and it will be very disappointing if he doesn’t land the spoils.
It will be even more disappointing if tomorrow’s meeting is called off as, compared to the dross we’ve been living off lately, the card feels like day one of the Cheltenham Festival.
Colour Sqaudron, who was unlucky not to beat Captain Conan last time, definitely looks the one to be with in the opener (12.55pm), while the rapidly-improving Thehillofuisneach could go in again for Jonjo O’Neill and Tony McCoy at 2.05pm.
Warm
He has gone up 37lbs since his winning run started but this animal cost £80,000, won very well last time and, notably, now has an entry in the Grade One Albert Bartlett at Cheltenham.
Class acts Long Run (2.35pm), Sprinter Sacre (3.10pm) and Grands Crus (4.20pm) will also rightly be warm orders for their respective engagements and will carry many a treble, while The New One, described as “a very serious horse” by the Twiston-Davies team, should take all the beating in the last (4.55pm).
The gut feeling is the meeting will be on but if not we’ll have to rely on the all-weather and Burke’s Rock (12.35pm), Sulis Minerva (1.40pm) and Mister Frosty (4.30pm) should keep us in pocket at Lingfield.
Burke’s Rock was given an educational ride by Hayley Turner last time and looked like the sort of horse that would win second-time out, while Sulis Minerva was a ready winner last time and with her it’s a case of the old classic – follow a filly in form.
Mister Frosty, meanwhile, landed a huge gamble on Monday by six lengths and with only a 6lbs penalty to carry, plus Kieren Fallon onboard, it looks like connections will double their dough.
It’s only a shame their charge’s name is so apt, let’s just hope Jack Frost doesn’t scupper Newbury.
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Weather for Leeds
Saturday 26 May 2012
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Temperature: 9 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
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Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 22 C
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