Welcome to Towcester — Where the Hills Sort the Men from the Boys

Right then, pull up a stool. It's a Tuesday in July, the sun has got his hat on, and we're heading to one of the most underrated tracks in the whole of jumps racing — Towcester. Seven races on the Towcester racecard this afternoon, Good ground with a Stick Meter reading of 53, and a proper mix of novice hurdles, handicap chases and a bumper to round things off. There's something for everyone, and yours truly has been through the card with a fine-tooth comb and a strong coffee.

Now, Towcester in July is a funny beast. The track itself — undulating, stiff, with that brutal climb to the finish — is always a stamina test, but on Good ground it becomes a genuine test of quality too. You can't hide on this track. The soft stuff forgives a multitude of sins; Good ground at Towcester exposes every weakness. Keep that in mind as we go through the races, because it shapes everything.

The Feature Race: Class 3 Handicap Hurdle at 15:00

The richest race on the card — and the one I'd argue deserves the most attention — is the CopyBet Support Safer Gambling Handicap Hurdle (Class 3) over 2m 7f 70y at 15:00, worth £10,700 to the winner. Twelve runners, a cracking spread of ratings from 108 to 128, and a race that will absolutely be run to suit the stayers. Over two miles and seven furlongs up that Towcester hill on Good ground? You want a horse that stays every inch of the trip and doesn't know the meaning of the word quit.

At the head of the market you'd expect Roger Pol (rated 128, Jamie Snowden) to attract plenty of support — he's course and distance qualified and Gavin Sheehan is one of the sharpest judges of pace in the weighing room. Oh wait — Gavin's on Ride Like A Girl in the opener. Roger Pol gets Isabelle Ryder in the plate here, and fair play to her, she's been riding with real confidence lately.

But the horse I keep coming back to is Sunray Shadow (rated 125, Harry Skelton, Dan Skelton). The Skelton operation is in rude health, Harry knows how to ride a front-runner or a hold-up horse with equal aplomb, and Sunray Shadow is course-proven. On Good ground, the Skeltons tend to have their horses cherry-ripe in the summer months. I wouldn't be shocked to see this one take all the beating.

Lipa K (rated 124, Jack Tudor, Greenall & Guerriero) is another worth a second look — course and distance form is a massive tick at Towcester, and Tudor is a jockey who gives horses a masterclass in rhythm over hurdles. The Greenall & Guerriero yard have been firing in winners all summer. Don't dismiss them lightly.

Key Runners to Watch Across the Card

13:30 — Novices' Hurdle: Mystic Wind and Dancingondiamonds

The opening novices' hurdle is wide open, as these things tend to be in July when you've got a mix of unrated sorts and horses dropping down from Flat careers. The two that catch my eye are both four-year-olds — Mystic Wind (Harry Skelton, Dan Skelton) and Dancingondiamonds (Sean Bowen, Olly Murphy). When Skelton and Bowen turn up on unraced or lightly-raced types, you pay attention. Full stop.

Eternal Angel (rated 115, Stan Sheppard, Tom Lacey) has course and distance form and a rating to back it up — she's the one the market will anchor to, and rightly so. But at a price, Mystic Wind could be the dark horse. The Skelton juveniles on Good summer ground are often better than they look on paper.

It'd be remiss of me not to mention Ride Like A Girl (rated 108, Gavin Sheehan, Jamie Snowden) — course and distance proven, a jockey who rides Towcester beautifully, and a trainer who knows how to place a mare. She's got every right to go well here.

14:00 — Novices' Handicap Chase: That's Nice vs Ice Jet

Now here's a race I'd pay good money to watch. That's Nice (rated 115, Harry Cobden, Nicky Henderson) against Ice Jet (rated 113, Harry Skelton, Dan Skelton) — two powerful yards, two top jockeys, and a 2m 4f novice chase at Towcester that will find out who's genuine and who's flattered. Ice Jet has course and distance form, which is a significant edge. Cobden and Henderson won't have sent That's Nice on a jolly, mind you — Seven Barrows horses don't travel for the fun of it.

Gaelic Rambler (rated 115, Jonjo O'Neill Jr., Jonjo & A.J. O'Neill) is joint-top on ratings and the O'Neill family know their way around a jumps course. This could be a cracking three-way battle.

14:30 — 3m Handicap Chase: Karnaval Point Looks Dangerous

The Peter Smith Birthday Celebration Handicap Chase over three miles is a lovely little race. Karnaval Point (rated 119, Rian Corcoran, David Pipe) is top-rated and David Pipe's horses over three miles on summer ground are always worth respecting — the man has forgotten more about stamina pedigrees than most trainers ever learn. Ivane (rated 117, Jonathan Burke, James Owen) is the danger, and Paper Mill (rated 113, Charlie Hammond, Stuart Edmunds) brings course form to the table at the age of ten. Old soldiers on their favourite tracks — never write them off.

16:00 — Class 5 Handicap Chase: Alshadhian Each-Way?

The penultimate race of the day — a Class 5 chase over an unusual 1m 7f 214y — looks like a race where Alshadhian (rated 99, Jack Tudor, Greenall & Guerriero) could outrun his odds. Course form, a yard in form, and Tudor in the saddle? There are worse each-way bets on the card. Person of Interest (rated 98, Harry Cobden, Faye Bramley) is an intriguing runner too — Cobden doesn't ride for small yards without a reason.

16:30 — Bumper: Iwanttobreakfree for the Skeltons

I'll keep this brief because bumpers in July are essentially educated guesswork — but when Dan Skelton saddles Iwanttobreakfree with Harry in the plate for a Class 5 National Hunt Flat Race, you don't need me to draw you a diagram. The name alone deserves a winner's enclosure visit. Cavo Tagoo (Sean Bowen, Olly Murphy) is the obvious danger — two powerhouse yards going head to head in a bumper. Lovely stuff.

Going Analysis: Good Ground (SM: 53) at Towcester

A Stick Meter reading of 53 tells us we're on the faster side of Good — not rattling fast, but quick enough that you want horses with a clean jumping technique and the constitution to handle a proper gallop. Towcester's undulations mean even Good ground rides with more effort than a flat track. Horses that have won here before on similar going — those [C] and [D] flags in the racecard — are absolutely worth prioritising today. This isn't a track where you want to be experimenting with a horse that's never handled the undulations. The hill punishes any horse that's not fully wound up and genuinely staying.

Stamina pedigrees matter here even in midsummer. If a horse has any question marks over its ability to get the trip, Good ground at Towcester will find them out before the final fence. Back the stayers. Back the course specialists. And back the trainers who've been running their horses into form over the summer months.

Tom's Best Bets — Tuesday at Towcester

  • BEST BET: Sunray Shadow (15:00) — Skelton, course form, Good ground specialist. The one I want most on the card.
  • EACH-WAY: Ice Jet (14:00) — Course and distance form is gold at Towcester. Skelton again. Hard to leave out.
  • EACH-WAY: Karnaval Point (14:30) — Top-rated, David Pipe over three miles, stamina in spades.
  • WATCH: Mystic Wind (13:30) — Unraced but the Skelton juveniles on summer Good ground are not to be underestimated.
  • EACH-WAY FLIER: Alshadhian (16:00) — Course form, Jack Tudor, yard in form. Could outrun his price at a big price.

That's your lot from me. Seven races, one brilliant track, and enough opinions to keep the argument going until last orders. Check the full Towcester racecard for all the latest market moves, and enjoy the racing. Go on now — have a good one.