Betfair. Don't Settle For Less Novices' Hurdle 2012

1.50 Newbury

Betfair. Don't Settle For Less Novices' Hurdle (Class 4)  (4YO plus)
Winner £3,249

Advice: 1 pt win Montbazon (11/4 Boylesports), 3 pts Montbazon Insurebet - 3 Places (6/5 Paddy Power)

All The Aces: Listed winner on the flat, he made an excellent debut when beaten by Prospect Wells, a previous Grade 2 second and subsequent Ladbroke fourth; Won impressively here last time and should go well.

Colour Squadron: Facile bumper winner who made an excellent debut behind It’s A Gimme in good looking novice hurdle at Newbury and followed up with gritty win over highly regarded Montbazon (reopposed) (below par but useful Ericht left quite a way behind in third); All set to win Grade 1 Tolworth Hurdle but for throwing his race (that a right handed track); Return to Newbury could see him go really well.

Montbazon: Leading bumper performer of last year, his impressive win in Sales bumper sandwiched between two defeats to Festival bumper winners; Made an excellent hurdling debut when just behind Montbazon here in soft ground, considering he’s always been likely to improve for a better surface and the hurdling experience; We learnt nothing from his easy win last time but he should go well today and not without a chance of reversing earlier form.

 

Vulcanite: Smart on flat; Second to very smart Tetlami on hurdling debut at Kempton, having pulled hard early before going down fighting at latter stage of race; Easy win at Southwell told us nothing but still impressive and should go well here.

Oscar’s Secret: Made a promising debut at Huntingdon but it was one that suggested he’d be better with more of a trip and possibly in handicaps; This far different.

Presenting Ace: Looks to be one for the handicap route as well, although he’s shown very little on real form to make him worth looking at.

Royal Comission: Run good races on all three hurdling starts but those suggested that he too would be better in the future with a longer trip and easier races to be found.

Tankerko Emery: Promising run in France but that all the way back in October 2009 and must settle better than when returning at Hereford, where he overjumped the second and took a heavy fall.

Taratata Sivola: Not gone on from novice chasing win (that in summer), with poor efforts despite being well supported the last twice; Lot to find over hurdles.

Tory Massini: Faces a tall order on hurdling debut.

VERDICT: A fascinating novice hurdle which should go a long way to giving us some Supreme Novice hurdle clues. The four to be looking at are Vulcanite, MONTBAZON, Colour Squadron and All The Aces, with Alan King’s charge getting the vote on the basis he will be at home on better ground than when being narrowly beaten by Phillip Hobbs’s charge in December. That form received a boost of some kind when he should have won the Tolworth but for hanging, and while the return to a left handed track will suit, one has to be worried about the wayward tendencies he showed that day. Vulcanite is strongly fancied and should go very well, while All The Aces has claims too.