tracked leaders, took keen hold, led going well over 2f out, ridden 1f out, edged left and went clear inside final furlong, stayed on well
Weatherbys Private Bank Standard Open NH Flat Race
Grade 2 | Class 1 | 4YO to 6YO
Winner £25,322 - 19 ran
tracked leaders, took keen hold, led going well over 2f out, ridden 1f out, edged left and went clear inside final furlong, stayed on well
held up towards rear, pushed along and steady headway from over 3f out, driven 2f out, switched right over 1f out, stayed on well inside final 100 yards, took 2nd close home, no impression on winner
held up towards rear on outside, headway over 3f out, went 2nd inside final furlong, stayed on, unable to challenge winner, lost 2nd post
held up in touch, effort 3f out, chasing leaders 2f out, edged left over 1f out, stayed on same pace inside final furlong
tracked leaders, pushed along 3f out, driven over 1f out, stayed on same pace inside final furlong
tracked leaders, ridden over 2f out, stayed on same pace inside final furlong
mid-division, some headway over 3f out, outpaced 2f out, stayed on with threatening inside final furlong
mid-division, headway over 3f out, chasing leaders 2f out, carried left over 1f out, no extra inside final furlong
prominent, led 3f out, soon headed, weakened inside final furlong
held up in rear, hanging left and modest headway over 2f out, never dangerous
held up in rear, pushed along over 3f out, never threatened
in touch in mid-division, took keen hold, outpaced 3f out, weakened over 1f out
pulled hard towards rear, no impression final 3f
led, headed 3f out, weakened from over 1f out
prominent, lost place over 2f out, soon weakened
mid-division, not clear run and hampered 4f out, no impression, weakened from 2f out
held up towards rear, ridden and struggling 5f out, tailed off
in touch in mid-division, ridden and weakened 3f out, tailed off
mid-division, ridden and struggling 5f out, tailed off
A good renewal two seasons ago with the 1-2 of Barters Hill and Bellshill both going on to win Grade 1 races plus the third was a certain Buveur D’Air. A couple of years earlier we had The New One beat My Tent Or Yours so it can be a stronger race than the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham.
That Grade 1 bumper at Cheltenham has to be the starting point though having featured seven winners of this Grade 2 event in the last 17 years. All bar one were unplaced at Cheltenham whereas the three runners-up at Cheltenham that tried to go one better were all turned over.
The Champion Bumper was massively represented class-wise for the first time last season when the 1-2-3 crossed swords again, this time with Bacardys reversing form with Ballyandy and Battleford. Incidentally, this season’s Neptune winner, Willoughby Court, was back in fifth.
The New One and Ballybolley were both successful here for Nigel Twiston-Davies in the last five years and he also won this race with the subsequent Hennessy winner, King’s Road, in 1998 so look out for his representatives. Jonjo O'Neill has won this with Classic Native and has two seconds too, including Iris's Gift so is another trainer to look out for. Alan Swinbank is another name to conjure with having supplied a winner and a runner-up in two of the last nine seasons.
Irish trainers have a moderate record in this compared to the Champion Bumper with just four winners in 27 runnings, though they would not be as well represented as they are at Cheltenham by a long chalk.
Other patterns worth noting are that 19 of the 29 winners, including 15 of the last 22, had their most recent outing in March and 24 had run no more than three times beforehand.
| Type | Stats | Type | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Summary | 112 runs, 27 wins (15 horses), 30 placed, 55 unplaced | Next time out | 19 runs, 4 wins, 8 placed, 7 unplaced |
| Class analysis | 9 runs up in class, 2 wins, 1 placed, 6 unplaced | Ratings check | Highest winning OR: 152; Highest placed OR: 152 |