A Decent Monday's Work Down in Devon

Right, settle in and let me tell you about the day's business at Newton Abbot. Now, I know what you're thinking — a Monday afternoon in early September, sure isn't that just the last knockings of the summer jumps season before the proper stuff kicks in? And you'd have a point. But here's the thing about Newton Abbot: it has a way of throwing up some genuinely interesting horses, and today's Newton Abbot racecard was no different. Good ground, six races, and a cast list that had me scribbling in the notebook from the first race to the last.

The going was Good — proper Good, not that soft-masquerading-as-good nonsense we sometimes get — and that matters enormously at a track like Newton Abbot, which rewards the handy, athletic type of jumper rather than your big lumbering stayer. Horses that can travel and quicken. Keep that in mind as we go through the card.

The Feature: Class 3 Chase and the Regal One to Watch

The 15:50 Mercedes Benz Truck Handicap Chase over 2m 7f 180y was the day's feature in terms of prize money — £15,000 on the table and a GBB Race to boot, which always attracts connections with an eye on the bigger picture. Five runners, but quality over quantity, and Regal Renaissance with Sean Bowen in the saddle was the one that caught the eye going into the race.

Rated 120 and carrying the course-and-distance form that the [D] flag tells you about, Regal Renaissance is exactly the type of horse that suits Newton Abbot's tight, turning track. Sean Bowen is no fool around here either — he reads a race beautifully and won't be doing anything daft on a horse with a bit of class about him.

Wasdell Dundalk (Callum Bewley, rated 112) is a horse I have a soft spot for — the name alone deserves a mention, named after that floodlit all-weather track on the east coast of Ireland where I've lost more money than I care to admit. Course-and-distance form, and Bewley is a jockey going places. Don't dismiss him lightly.

Inis Oirr — now there's a name that'll warm an Irish heart, named after the smallest of the Aran Islands. Gregor Walkingshaw takes the ride on a horse rated 108 with course-and-distance credentials. Modest enough on the ratings, but on Good ground over this trip at Newton Abbot, stranger things have happened.

The Novices' Hurdle: Cosmos d'Ainay the One They All Have to Beat

The 14:50 Novices' Hurdle over 2m 47y was always going to be the race where you'd find your next big thing — or at least a horse worth following into the winter. And the name at the top of the weights, Cosmos d'Ainay (Sean Bowen, rated 126), is one I'd be putting firmly in the notebook.

Rated 126 for a novices' hurdle? That tells you this is a horse with a proper point-to-point or bumper background, and connections clearly fancy him to make his mark over obstacles. Sean Bowen doesn't take rides like this for the good of his health — he picks his spots, and when he turns up at Newton Abbot on a Monday in September, you pay attention.

Puppet Master (James Bowen, rated 125) — the younger Bowen brother, and isn't it great to see the pair of them out on the same card? Rated just a pound behind Cosmos d'Ainay, this is a proper race on paper. James Bowen is a fine jockey in his own right and won't be coming here to make up the numbers.

Keep an eye on Secret Soldier (Conor Rabbitt) — unrated, which means he's either very green or very lightly raced, and on Good ground at a track that rewards jumping ability, there could be more to him than the market suggests. Rabbitt is a capable claimer and won't be wasting a journey to Devon.

Ones to Follow — The Notebook Horses

Every good card throws up a few horses you want to track through the season, and today was no different. Here's what I'm writing down:

  • Cosmos d'Ainay — if he wins the novices' hurdle with any sort of authority, he'll be one for a decent novices' event at Cheltenham or Ascot before Christmas. The rating suggests there's already substance here.
  • Regal Renaissance — a horse rated 120 winning a Class 4 chase suggests he could be well handicapped. Watch for connections stepping him up in class sharpish. A Listed or Graded novices' chase wouldn't be out of the question if he's impressive.
  • Castleheath (Sean Bowen, rated 119) in the 15:20 Handicap Hurdle — top weight, top jockey, and you don't put Sean Bowen on a horse at Newton Abbot in September unless you mean business. If he wins off 119, he'll go up, but he could be the type to progress through the handicap ranks regardless.
  • Down Around (Sean Bowen, rated 105) in the 16:50 Class 5 Handicap Hurdle — Bowen on a 105-rated horse in the last? Either he's doing a favour for connections, or this horse is well treated. I'd lean toward the latter. The 2m 7f 207y trip on Good ground is a real stamina test, and if Down Around travels well, he could be one for a step up in class later in the season.
  • Bogha Baiste (Sean Quinlan) in the 16:20 Handicap Hurdle — the name means 'baptism of fire' in Irish, which is either very appropriate or very ominous. Rated 106, no course-and-distance form flagged, but Quinlan is a seasoned operator and knows how to place a horse. One to watch if the market moves.

Jockey Watch: The Bowen Brothers and a Busy Day for Quinlan

You can't look at today's card without noticing that the Bowen family had a proper day out in Devon. Sean Bowen rides in four races — the novices' hurdle, the Class 4 handicap hurdle, the feature chase, and the Class 5 closer. That's a serious book of rides, and when a jockey of Sean's calibre commits to a Monday card like this, it tells you something. He's not here for the scenery.

James Bowen partners Puppet Master in the novices' hurdle and Garrick Painter in the 16:20 handicap hurdle — a quieter book of rides, but quality over quantity has always been the younger Bowen's approach.

Sean Quinlan is another who had a busy afternoon — Dunkerque in the opener, Inappropriate in the handicap hurdle, Bogha Baiste in the 16:20, and Le Grand Vert in the closer. Quinlan is one of the most underrated jockeys in the game, in my opinion. He gets on with it quietly and delivers when it matters. Any winner he rides today is worth following up.

Danny McMenamin also had a full book — No Regrets in the feature chase, Elemental Eye in the handicap hurdle, Lowlands in the 16:20, and Sauce of Life in the closer. McMenamin is a jockey I'd back to find a way around Newton Abbot's tight bends — he's sharp and decisive, exactly what you need here.

Looking Ahead: Where Do These Horses Go Next?

The early autumn jumps cards at tracks like Newton Abbot are essentially a shop window for what's to come between October and April. The horses that show up well on Good ground now — jumping cleanly, travelling strongly — are the ones that'll be competitive when the ground softens and the prize money increases.

If Cosmos d'Ainay wins the novices' hurdle, I'd be looking at something like the Persian War Novices' Hurdle at Chepstow in October or a novices' event at Cheltenham's Showcase meeting. The rating is already there — it's just a matter of whether the jumping is up to scratch.

The feature chase winner, whatever way it goes, could be one for the Badger Ales Trophy at Wincanton or a similar staying handicap chase as the season develops. Good ground form translates well when the tracks dry out in late autumn.

And keep an eye on the Class 5 closer — those 2m 7f staying hurdles in September often unearth a progressive type who finds his feet over the winter. Down Around and Dalileo (Peter Kavanagh, course-and-distance form) are both worth a second look if they run well.

The Verdict: Newton Abbot Delivers Again

Look, nobody's pretending this was Cheltenham Festival stuff. It's a Monday in September at a West Country track, and the prize money reflects that. But Newton Abbot has a habit of producing horses worth following, and today's Newton Abbot racecard was a solid, honest card with genuine competitive interest across all six races.

The notebook is full, the Good ground played fair, and if even two or three of the horses I've mentioned above go on to better things this winter, we'll be raising a glass to a productive Monday afternoon in Devon. That's all you can ask for at this time of year — a few clues, a few leads, and something to look forward to when the proper jumps season gets going.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go and check the declarations for the weekend. Sláinte.