Only five ready to go for Big Buck's at Newbury

Big Buck's

The powers that be in British racing may have managed to save the race but making it much of a contest may be beyond even them.

The Grade One AP Wins Sports Personality Long Walk Hurdle was dug out of the snowbound fixture at Ascot two weeks ago and rescheduled for Newbury’s meeting on Wednesday, which itself will require a thaw to disperse what is left of the three inches of snow that has been covering the track.

If racing goes ahead Big Buck's will face only five rivals as he attempts to increase his unbeaten run over hurdles, which stretches back more than two years, to 10 and includes this race last year which was also run at Newbury under similar circumstances.

The level of his superiority is such that Big Buck’s has between 19 and 24lbs in hand on the field judged on official ratings. Duc De Regniere, who finished three lengths second Big Buck's – receiving 8lbs – over course and in the Long Distance Hurdle last month, looks the one to lay down the challenge once more.

The other Grade One hurdle on the card, the sportingbet Supports Heros Charity Challow Novices´ Hurdle, should at least provide something of a guide to the pecking order for this season’s staying novice hurdlers.

One man who had a welcome change of luck at Southwell was Dean Heslop. The rider had not won a race since July but he broke that run of 58 losing rides in style with an emphatic win on Dontpaytheferryman in the More Live Football Betting At totesport.com Handicap. Heslop only picked up the ride on Brian Ellison’s horse because Dane O’Neill was ill with flu and he probably would not have been feeling much better if he had watched this race.

Heslop had Dontpaytheferryman close to the pace throughout and then followed the trainer’s instructions to make his move on the home turn. Whether it was part of Ellison’s plan for the horse to win by 14 lengths – unless he was hoping that the handicapper had taken the day off –is debateable but the jockey was just happy to have won. “Jesus Christ – I don’t want to be waiting that long for a winner again,” he said.

“He [Ellison] said ‘when you get to the bend just kick him in the belly’ and once I did that was it. He just annihilated them. Probably won a little bit too far but, when they’re galloping like that, there’s nothing you can do.”

That was Dontpaytheferryman’s second victory in four starts at Southwell, a track which does seem to throw up more than its share of course specialists and Colorus falls into that category. The seven-year-old won his sixth race there – with another nine places – from 25 starts in the Bet On Tonight's Football At totesport.com Claiming Stakes.

“It was one of those races that you look on paper, a typical claimer, and you’re trying to work the weights out,” winning trainer Bill Ratcliffe said. “I know he’ll run his race, then you look at the weight he’s getting and it just takes one or two maybe not just quite running to their marks and he was bound to be in there with a chance.”
The next chance for Colorus is likely to be a visit to familiar surroundings. “We’ll get new year out of the way and probably bring him back here,” Ratcliffe said.

Where else?

Paul Wheeler

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