Ross Millar: weekend reflection and Monday tips

I often have a minor source of frustration at this time of the season, as it feels like the sport tries to tread water for two weeks, waiting for the start of the Cheltenham Festival. 

On Saturday, at Kempton, we were able to enjoy three Grade Two contests and a £150,000 Premier Handicap Chase, yet the narrative both from connections and journalists was very much to see these (formerly) prestigious races as preparation for the Festival. 

Rubaud had been set some stiff tasks on his two chase starts before Saturday. 

Firstly when thrown in to the Sir Gino versus Ballyburn clash, before latterly shaking up the more experienced L’Eau Du Sud at Warwick. 

He impressed me when winning the Ladbrokes Pendil Novices’ Chase, not so much in the style of the performance, but more so in the manner. 

He never truly looked comfortable on the good to soft ground, that was described by jockeys as “tacky”, yet he battled bravely and under an astute ride from Harry Cobden he stayed this new trip surprisingly well to collect his first chase victory. 

The stamina he showed  opens up new avenues for him and it would be no surprise to see him build on this in the spring. 

The Grade Two Ladbrokes Adonis Hurdle probably lacked some depth with the defection earlier in the week of the Nicky Henderson-trained pair Lulamba and Palladium. 

This meant all eyes were on Mondo Man. This high-class Flat performer had pulled far too hard on his hurdling debut at Ascot when failing to land a blow behind Lulamba despite being in receipt of 10lb. 

It was the same story here. Under exaggerated waiting tactics he fought jockey Caolin Quinn throughout the first circuit and again failed to find when asked for his effort, finishing third, beaten just under two lengths by the Ben Pauling-trained and Ben Jones-ridden Mambonumberfive. 

The winner resembled a bowling ball over the first few hurdles as he gave them little regard, but his jumping improved as the race progressed despite the lack of an even pace. 

He showed the best turn of pace up the home straight and confirmed that his debut run at Cheltenham was not a true reflection of his ability. 

Post race views seemed mixed with jockey Jones saying it would put him “spot on for Cheltenham” while Pauling suggested that at 17 hands he was a future chaser and he was thinking two years down the line. For a horse of his size and age it’s possibly a quicker than ideal turnaround to head to the JCB Triumph Hurdle. 

The Ladbrokes Dovecote Novices’ Hurdle was won by the Fergal O’Brien-trained Tripoli Flyer. 

He’s steadily progressed with each of his four runs over hurdles and this was by far and away his best performance to date. 

His jumping was often moderate but he cruised comfortably into contention rounding the home bend and quickly took the measure of Miami Magic with a slick jump at the second last. Even a clumsy leap at the last failed to halt his powerful finishing effort. 

It may be that on less tacky ground his jumping will improve and given how well he finished his race off it’s easy to think a stiffer track would suit. 

His trainer has yet to train a Cheltenham Festival winner and in all likelihood, judging by the strength of opposition coming from Closutton, it’s hard to see Tripoli Flyer being the won to break his duck. However, he’s clearly the best two-mile novice hurdler in Great Britain. 

The steward reports noted that he bled from the nose, so given the short turnaround it might well be that he’s given time to recover and that connections resist the lure of the Festival. 

The Ladbrokes Trophy Handicap Chase did not get the quality of entrants that it’s £150,000 prize money deserved, and looked weak on paper. 

Trainer Sam Thomas has regularly spoken about his happiness to avoid Cheltenham and to seek better opportunities elsewhere. 

The result highlighted that with the Welsh-based trainer taking home the majority of the prize pot courtesy of the winner, Katate Dori, and third-placed Our Power. 

To my mind jockey Charlie Deutsch has no equal, on either side of the Irish Sea, when it comes to presenting a horse at a fence and that’s been the case for several seasons. 

This campaign he seems a thoroughly more confident individual and as a result his tactical awareness in a race his massively improved. 

Katate Dori struggled to lay-up over the first few fences but a positive mid-race move by Deutsch when coming wide down the home straight saw him take up a prominent position. 

Bar one fence he then found a wonderful jumping rhythm before slipping away from the field on the home turn to run out a ready winner. 

Conversely, market favourite Hyland was never able to find a rhythm in his jumping and a consequence he got shuffled far further back than ideal. He made good ground exiting the back straight but wasn’t able to sustain such a tempo to the line. 

His jumping this season has been excellent and I won’t give up on him yet especially after overnight rain denied him of his preferred sound surface. 

Moving forward being buffeted around in the pack will stand him in good stead, particularly if he heads to the Randox at Aintree. 

On Monday I have selections for the meetings at Plumpton and Ayr. 

I’m convinced this Evan Williams-trained son of Bathyrhon remains a tremendously well-handicapped horse. 

He caught my eye on his first start of this season, staying on well from a long way back for fifth in the Silver Trophy at Chepstow, on ground that would have been livelier than ideal. 

That form has worked out well with the four who finished ahead of him all being rated significantly higher now than they were on that occasion. However, in a season that probably hasn’t panned out perfectly he remains on an attractive mark of 121. 

The ground was too lively on his latest start at Ascot so that’s easy to overlook and I’d far rather focus on his effort at Aintree on Boxing Day. 

On soft ground over 2m 4f he finished with his customary strong effort to be beaten four lengths by Red Dirt Road, and that rival went on to land a competitive Sandown handicap and is now 14lb higher in the weights. 

This three-mile trip will be ideal and with plenty of rain forecast he should finally get to race on heavy ground, as it was at Ffos Las for his sole win last season. 

I’m a big fan of this horse. He’s an excellent jumper and is a thoroughly consistent performer. 

His form over fences this year is strong. On his seasonal return, over this course and distance, he beat The Kalooki Kid by a length, he’s since won his next two, including the Scottish Champion Chase and is now rated 15lb higher. 

Doyen Du Bar followed up by winning at Aintree before running a career best at Sandown when finishing second behind the highly progressive Vincenzo. 

It was a strong effort particularly if you consider that a right-handed undulating track does not offer him his optimal conditions – he’s previously run poorly twice at Carlisle. 

I felt the handicapper was unusually generous to leave him on an unchanged mark of 126 after that effort and returning to a flat left-handed track can see him regain the winning thread.