Lingfield Saturday 15/12

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stodge

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Lingfield stages its most significant NH meeting of the season on Saturday and I'm hoping to attend. Although the current ground conditions are Heavy, waterlogged in places, I'm pretty confident the meeting will go ahead with a dry week forecast.

The two feature events carrying Grade 2 status are the 3-y-o Summit Junior Hurdle and the December Novices' chase over three miles.

The Juvenile hurdle could cut up very badly with eight of the eleven declared also entered for the first at Cheltenham. It remains to be seen what Thierry Doumen (whose father regularly won this race) decides to do with TAKE IT OVER and RHUM BRUN while Alan King has left in both FRANCHOEK and RUSSIAN INVADER with the latter presumably more likely to come to Surrey.

Of the others, Paul Nicholls has entered CHAPOTURGEON and FIVE DREAM while the more local Gary Moore has entered Fontwell winner GUARDIAN OF TRUTH though all his Flat form was on a sound surface.

The Novices' chase has sixteen entries but also look set to cut up. LABELTHOU had little more than an exercise canter at Ascot the other day and didn't completely impress me. Entries such as TRIGGER THE LIGHT, JOE LIVELY and MARK THE BOOK are due to run on Friday at Cheltenham and Thursday at Taunton respectively so it could be another small-field event.
 
I'm in London for the weekend and have the option of going to Cheltenham or Lingfield.I have never been to Lingfield and fancy giving it a try on Saturday.
 
Another tip: Go and say "hello" to the lovely, Krizon in the O&T's!
A little birdy tells me it was her Birthday this week. :)
 
After the Greatwood Hurdle I literally couldn't close my fist on the pile of notes that I collected-it was the nearest I ever was to frostbite in addition to being completely soaked to the skin.I had to get a taxi into town -buy a new set of clothes and change into them in the changing rooms.Weather for hardy whores.
 
Luke, please ignore Venusian. He sounds like one of these namby-pamby NH wimps you see at places like Cheltenham and elsewhere. It's a little cold or a little frosty and they have to whinge about it. Even the courses have blankets put on them to keep them warm... :)

Now, the REAL racing fan is the sort of idiot who stands outside in a blizzard watching a Class 6 Claimer on a January midweek afternoon....
 
Originally posted by stodge@Dec 13 2007, 09:53 AM
Luke, please ignore Venusian. He sounds like one of these namby-pamby NH wimps you see at places like Cheltenham and elsewhere. It's a little cold or a little frosty and they have to whinge about it. Even the courses have blankets put on them to keep them warm... :)

Now, the REAL racing fan is the sort of idiot who stands outside in a blizzard watching a Class 6 Claimer on a January midweek afternoon....
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How about on a Sunday for a class 6 claimer that surely would warrant more respect, :laughing:

Can't Lingfield being on myself, says parts of the course are already waterlogged and the forecast is hardly drying weather.
 
When I was a member at Lingfield for a few years the 90s, my enjoyment of some of the winter Saturday AW meetings was greatly enhanced by a number of braziers strategically dotted around the place.

Conversely, I was once mildly sunstroked after attending a July evening meeting there.
 
Apologies, Venusian, I had forgotten you were an alumnus. Yes, I remember the fires, the all-day breakfast in the Derby Restaurant and a ten-race card starting at 11.10 am :)

Chris, the ground is being quoted as Heavy, soft in places on the chase course. I think it couldn't have taken any more rain but a dry couple of days has helped. The threat now may be frost and/or fog but I've heard nothing to suggest the meeting is under threat.

After today's Huntingdon fiasco, everyone will be treading carefully.
 
There has to be a lot of doubt about whether the meeting will actually take place.

I've been working no further than 10 miles from the course during the week, and everywhere there's been frozen ground all day.
 
I ride out around 30 miles away from Lingfield where it has been frozen solid for the past two days - if the temperature doesn't rise the meeting has to be in serious doubt.
 
It was down to -4 in Lingfield village last night and it was still very cold when I drove over there for a haircut this afternoon! Bit milder tonight, but if it's on, I'll likely be there.
 
The meeting is subject to a 7am inspection tomorrow but Neil Mackenzie-Ross is sounding very upbeat with little or no frost reported on Thursday night.

The fields for the two feature events have stood up better than I feared earlier in the week and despite the blandishments of Cheltenham.

Six have stood their ground for the Juvenile hurdle. RUSSIAN INVADER won on soft ground at Folkestone and that must be of big help with the ground certain to be testing. ART PROFESSOR has won both his starts and has claims but I prefer LEMON SILK. He was beaten 12 lengths by Franchoek at Cheltenham but that's no disgrace. More significantly, he ran well on heavy and soft ground on the flat and I might be tempted to support him against the likely market leaders.

Seven contest the Novices' chase over three miles. LABELTHOU may well start favourite but this will be a vastly different proposition to a virtual exercise canter round Ascot on good ground. MICHAEL MUCK has to concede weight all round but did it well at Chepstow despite a couple of mistakes. Of the others, VERASI and SELF DEFENSE have to prove they get the trip in the ground.

So, my selections for the feature events tomorrow are:

1.55: LEMON SILK
2.30: MICHAEL MUCK
 
Art Professpr and Russian Invader declared and jocked as at Lingers also for Cheltenham - think some fields might cut up, as people know Cheltenham have the covers so are almost certain to race, unlike Lingers. Hope they do tho, will be sad for them if they lose an NH meeting
 
Originally posted by Headstrong@Dec 14 2007, 11:18 PM
Art Professpr and Russian Invader declared and jocked as at Lingers also for Cheltenham - think some fields might cut up, as people know Cheltenham have the covers so are almost certain to race, unlike Lingers. Hope they do tho, will be sad for them if they lose an NH meeting
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Art Professor and Russian Invader have Cheltenham as 2nd Preference so the fields won't be cutting up for them to run at Cheltenham, as they'll only be there if Lingfield's off.

Cold in the village tonight, about 2-3 degrees, no sign of freezing but it'll be sticky, tough going tomorrow I'd say, if it's on.
 
Lemon Silk and the Doumen horse have Lingers as first preference also.
Hopefully that will make Franchoek's task a little easier although the Nicholl's horse could be interesting having shown some fair form on the flat.

I would fear Art Professor if those four were re routed to Chelters as I've been quite impressed with him in his two starts over hurdles.
 
I was just making the point that with Lingers in doubt in the morning won't the trainers head for the course they KNOW will be racing? - horses are boxed off so early, they may not have finished inspecting at Lingers. We shall see. Damn parky up here, hope it's better down south!

I've been impressed too with Art Professor, think he has quite a bit of improvement too
Would b ekind of interesting to see them all int he same race! - being greedy
 
Originally posted by Headstrong@Dec 15 2007, 02:12 AM
I was just making the point that with Lingers in doubt in the morning won't the trainers head for the course they KNOW will be racing? - horses are boxed off so early, they may not have finished inspecting at Lingers. We shall see. Damn parky up here, hope it's better down south!

I've been impressed too with Art Professor, think he has quite a bit of improvement too
Would b ekind of interesting to see them all int he same race! - being greedy
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I would have thought most of the 2nd pref runners which needed to travel overnight would have gone to Lingfield overnight and had it been abandoned then travelled from Lingfield to Chelt, but its on so no probs.
 
Originally posted by Headstrong@Dec 15 2007, 02:12 AM
I was just making the point that with Lingers in doubt in the morning won't the trainers head for the course they KNOW will be racing? - horses are boxed off so early, they may not have finished inspecting at Lingers. We shall see. Damn parky up here, hope it's better down south!

I've been impressed too with Art Professor, think he has quite a bit of improvement too
Would b ekind of interesting to see them all int he same race! - being greedy
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You're missing the point - you said the fields might cut up - they wouldn't - if Lingfield is on they run there, if it's off they have the option of running at Cheltenham.
 
Lemon Silk does the business, just! Put this up as a place bet with a win chance LTO against Franchoek and collected on the place . Looked a good proposition here today and has given me my Christmas betting pot.
Nice one, Stodge.
 
Thanks for the kind word, TS, and apologies for not getting back to post earlier but Mrs Stodge ha had me on Christmas shopping detail yesterday (not pleasant).

Looking back to Saturday, a few notes/thoughts/observations on what I saw at Lingfield (a good crowd full of wimpy NH types complaining about how cold it was).

The opening bumper was won by a useful sort in CALAFICIAL, who has bags of scope and could well make a nice hurdler but the one for the Stodge notebook was KATALINA, a debutante from the Hen Knight yard, beautifully bred by Hernando out of a Strong Gale mare. She looked ok in the paddock and made eyecatching progress in the straight. I'm sure the yard will take its time with her she's definitely one to note as is TREMPARI who ran another sound race.

The second race was the novices' hurdle over two and a half miles. SHARAJAN won this after a break of nearly two years but looked a bit rusty especially in the jumping department. I just wonder if jumping fences will be the making of him. DEBAUCHERY ran in snatches but was in with a chance until the final quarter of a mile. He's entitled to improve but the one to note here was ALFRED'S TOWER, who ran on very well to finish a never-nearer fourth on his debut. He's related to winners over three miles and looks a future staying chaser.

The Grade 2 Juvenile hurdle went to LEMON SILK (as predicted :) ) but ART PROFESSOR ran a strange race getting outpaced before running on up the run-in. Not sure what to make of the form of this event and probably not significant with Cheltenham in mind though a race like the Finale at Chepstow may be a more immediate target for the winner.

The Grade 2 Novices' chase was ano0ther ultimately disappointing event. MICHAEL MUCK was very disappointing, possibly not handling the ground. LABELTHOU jumped fine to the second last but didn't seem to get home and it may be that other fences better ground will be the prerequisite. VERASI is a marvellous servant for connections and will doubtless contest other top novice chases on heave/soft ground.

LEADING AUTHORITY bolted up in the handicap chase and, if the blinkers continue to bring some improvement, should be followed even under a penalty. SEBASTIANO looks a useful handicap hurdler in the making but clearly relishes deep ground.
 
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