Clearly I spoke too soon about the All-weather! Fog was one thing that I reckoned without and it duly descended upon Lingfield Park to cause the meeting to be abandoned after two races. Never mind, at least the funds are still in our pockets as Cheltenham’s big weekend meeting approaches.
The highlight of Thursday’s racing is an interesting Grade 2 contest at Huntingdon for the Peterborough Chase over two and a half miles. According to official ratings, it should be a straight match between Captain Chris and Riverside Theatre.
Captain Chris won the Arkle Trophy in 2011 but has had a few problems since. He unseated Richard Johnson at Exeter with the race at his mercy one day and then went through a spell of jumping violently out to his right. Despite a lot of schooling, he is still inclined to do this and he wouldn’t be one that I’d trust in a competitive heat at the festival these days.
When he is going right-handed, as he will be tomorrow, he is a different proposition. Last December he ran the race of his life when just caught in the King George by Long Run. Both horses looked dead on their feet in the heavy ground but he produced a thoroughly game effort and really didn’t deserve to lose.
He also won at Ascot first time out and chased home the smart Cue Card at the same venue. Assuming that his trainer has him reasonably fit, he will be tough to beat. Riverside Theatre won the Ryanair a couple of seasons ago but has had a similarly torrid time of late. After pulling up at Aintree, he has been beaten a total of 72 lengths in three subsequent outings. Nicky Henderson is a great trainer but it is a leap of faith if you are backing this one tomorrow.
The biggest danger to Captain Chris may come from the progressive Module who chased home Somersby at Exeter with Cue Card behind him in third. Cue Card went on to win the Betfair Chase whilst Somersby ran on well to finish second in the Tingle Creek on Saturday. That suggests that Module is better than his official rating of 157 and closer to Captain Chris’s rating of 169. In receipt of 8lbs, he must have a fighting chance.
Champion Court is the best of the rest, despite a lack-lustre effort under a big weight in the Paddy Power Chase last time. He should be able to settle nicely and his safe jumping will expose any weaknesses in his rivals. However, with fitness on his side, I just favour Module to get the better of Captain Chris.
Module 9-2 Totesport
