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FRIDAY‘S turf racing comes from Kempton who stage a cracking card including a fascinating 3m Handicap Chase where a chance is taken on Court Victory (4.10) who made a pleasing reappearance after a two-year absence at Warwick for Emma Lavelle.
He has been ridden under rules by Aidan Coleman and Noel Fehily in the past but they are aboard Summery Justice and Triangular respectively and they are dangers although the latter may want better ground and is 4lb higher than when second at Doncaster last month.
Midnight Appeal has a good record at the track (form figures 2-2-3) but is 7lb higher than when scoring at Bangor in November and the combination of 11st 12lbs and soft ground might be too much. I have always been an admirer of the lightly-raced Court Victory and, although the jockey booking tempers confidence, he was a horse of considerable potential a couple of years ago and can reward each way support in a cracking race.
The feature is the four-runner Graduation Chase and at the foot of the weights the mare Une Artiste (3.35) is hard to oppose given she receives 7lbs and more from her rivals and has the best recent form having finished runner up in a Grade 2 mares’ event at Thurles last month for Nicky Henderson. Batonnier makes his chase debut for Alan King and is a Grade 2 Novice Hurdle winner although he has only run once in the last two years and will do well to give 7lbs to the mare.
Baltimore Rock (1.30) is entered at Plumpton on Monday and will escape a penalty for winning the opening Conditional Jockey’s handicap for David Pipe. The selection looks to be thrown in off an opening mark of 112 having won a heavy ground novice at Wincanton last month beating a Colin Tizzard horse who still holds an entry in the Neptune Novices’ at next month’s Festival. This is a confident selection.
Talking of the Tizzard’s and I am interested in their Ultragold (2.30) reverting to the minimum trip having, once again, travelled strongly a Wincanton last time over 2m 5f. It is possible that he will get done for toe over the last couple of fences but his jockey (Joe Tizzard) is excellent from the front and the hope is that he makes plenty of use of his mount who is less than half the age of the admirable teenager Nozic.
Kempton Bumpers of ten throw up some decent sorts and AP McCoy hangs around for debutant Less Time which is a tip in itself and a market move would be worth noting but Third Act (4.40) can make it third time lucky for the yard having run with promise in defeat on both previous starts. He has been well backed (beaten favourite) in those two starts so has obviously been showing plenty at home and can make it third time lucky.
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