Standard to Slow Ground Serves Up Solid Fare
Well now, what have we here? A proper evening's entertainment up at Hexham on Wednesday, and while the purists might turn their noses up at flat racing on the Northumberland track, there was plenty to get the blood pumping if you knew where to look. The Hexham racecard might not have been Ascot in terms of quality, but by God, there were some tasty morsels scattered throughout the seven-race card.
The standard to slow going was never going to suit the speed merchants, and you could see from the off that stamina and staying power would be the order of the day. Perfect conditions, really, for separating the wheat from the chaff - and there was plenty of both on show this evening.
Feature Race: Class 4 Handicap Delivers the Goods
The £12,000 Class 4 handicap over seven furlongs at 8pm was always going to be the evening's centrepiece, and what a cracking contest it shaped up to be. With Hollie Doyle aboard the well-fancied Farasi Lane, you knew the pace would be honest from the get-go.
Prosperitas looked the one to beat on paper at the top of the weights with an 82 rating, but I had my doubts about George Wood's mount handling the slower conditions. Mr Baloo for Joe Leavy was interesting at 81, especially with his course and distance form, but it was I'm Workin On It that caught my eye in the preliminaries.
Lewis Edmunds has been riding with real confidence lately, and this fellow looked like he'd been waiting for these exact conditions. The way he was moving in the paddock suggested the slower ground would play right into his hands - and horses rated 81 don't often get many chances like this in Class 4 company.
Hollie Doyle: The Evening's Star Turn
Sweet Jesus, what a book of rides Hollie Doyle had assembled for this evening's card! Five mounts across the seven races, and every single one of them with a genuine chance if the cards fell right. That's the mark of a jockey who's doing her homework and getting the calls from the right people.
Her mount in the fillies' restricted novice stakes, Eloquencia, looked particularly interesting over the extended mile and a quarter. Unrated fillies can be a minefield, but when Doyle gets the leg up on one for the first time, you sit up and take notice. The breeding suggested she'd appreciate the trip, and the slower going would only help her cause.
Then there was her ride in the 7:30 maiden fillies' stakes aboard Perdy In Paris. Now, I know what you're thinking - a 14-runner maiden fillies' race is hardly the stuff of dreams. But mark my words, there'll be a few winners to come out of that contest. The form often works out well from these competitive maidens, especially when you've got quality jockeys like Doyle, Rob Hornby, and Pat Cosgrave all scrapping it out.
Ones to Follow: The Evening's Hidden Gems
Right, let's get down to the meat and potatoes - the horses you want to be following after tonight's action. First up, keep a close eye on Chapman's Peak from the 6:30 handicap. P.J. McDonald doesn't often make the trip up to Hexham for no good reason, and this fellow looked like he was crying out for exactly these conditions.
In the apprentice handicap that kicked things off, I was taken with the way Berning Hot was moving for James Glennon. The lad's been riding well lately, and this horse has been running some decent races without getting his head in front. Sometimes it just takes a change of scenery and the right conditions to turn the corner.
But the one that really caught my attention was Silca Bay in that feature handicap. Charles Bishop's been getting some lovely tunes out of his rides lately, and this fellow's been running consistently without quite getting there. Rated 76 and dropping down in class slightly, he looked like he could be the type to pick up a nice pot before the summer's out.
Don't sleep on Withoutfurtherado either - what a name! - in the 8:30 handicap. Dylan Hogan's mount has been knocking on the door, and these slower conditions looked tailor-made for his running style.
Looking Ahead: Where Next for Tonight's Stars?
The beauty of an evening like this is that you're seeing horses at various stages of their development. Those fillies' races will throw up winners throughout the summer - mark my words on that. The maidens especially will be worth following, as connections will have learned plenty about their charges tonight.
For the handicappers, tonight's run will either have set them up nicely for a drop in the weights or confirmed they're ready to step up in class. Either way, there'll be opportunities to follow up if you're paying attention.
The apprentice race was particularly interesting from a long-term perspective. These young jockeys are the future of the game, and seeing them get competitive rides in decent contests is exactly what the sport needs. Hope Regan on King of Speed and Toby Moore aboard Sceptic both looked like they belonged at this level.
Final Thoughts: A Proper Evening's Entertainment
Look, I'll be honest with you - when I saw this was a flat card at Hexham, my first instinct was to reach for the remote and see what was on the telly instead. But you know what? Sometimes these evening meetings surprise you, and tonight was one of those occasions.
The quality might not have been top drawer, but the competitive nature of the racing more than made up for it. When you've got jockeys of the calibre of Hollie Doyle, Rob Hornby, and Silvestre De Sousa all turning up for the evening shift, you know there's money to be made and reputations to be enhanced.
The slower ground played its part too, really testing the stamina reserves and sorting out the genuine stayers from the pretenders. That's always good to see, especially in these longer-distance handicaps where tactical nous and race-riding skills come to the fore.
All in all, a grand evening's racing that's left me with a notebook full of names to follow and a renewed appreciation for these midweek meetings. Sometimes the best value is found away from the big Saturday afternoon cards, and tonight was a perfect example of that. Sláinte to that!
