Handicap Verdict: Ross Millar pinpoints this week's interesting movers

Tuesday morning is one of my favourite times of the week as the official handicapper publishes his revised marks after the last seven days of action. 

It provides me with the perfect opportunity to sit down with a cup of coffee and a pastry, while pinpointing which horses have arrived on an appealing mark. Within this column I’ll aim to share them with you.

GOING UP

Sporting John has refound his consistency this season after connections made the decision to revert to hurdling following a crisis of confidence over fences at the spring festivals. His Cheltenham win in November also showed that he isn’t as dependent on soft ground as I previously thought.

He has been raised 5lb for his victory in the Pertemps qualifier at Warwick on Saturday, which seems a little harsh. We all know the nature of the Pertemps series meant a few horses that ran in Saturday’s qualifier might not have been too fussed about winning - how we can have a series with a final at Cheltenham that rewards finishing seventh in a qualifier is beyond me, but that is probably a discussion for another time!

Sporting John’s new mark of 155 probably leaves him between a rock and a hard place. He will almost certainly carry top weight in the Pertemps Final, but otherwise he would need to find upwards of 10lb to challenge the protagonists in the Stayers’ hurdle.

It is possible that the Pertemps might not be entirely dismissed by connections as an option. His trainer, Philip Hobbs, trained Fingal Bay - the last horse to win the final having won a qualifier - and owner JP McManus won the Final in 2020 with Sire Du Berlais, who interestingly carried topweight.

A tilt at the Stayers’ Hurdle would look the most likely option, although Champ remains in the mix for that three-mile contest and is also owned by McManus.

A third possibility, admittedly from left-field, is that connections look to exploit his chase mark of 151 and aim him at the Ultima Chase. If he ran in that race last year off 151, he would have carried a very reasonable 11st 5lb.

Fences certainly haven’t been dismissed. After Saturday’s race, Philip Hobbs said: “He will jump fences again. I know his form figures aren’t very good, but Richard Johnson reminded me the other day that he definitely ought to go back over fences at some stage.” It would be a brave call, but one that might have some merit.

GOING DOWN

Regular listeners of the SBK Betting Podcast will know that I’m not afraid to give an older horse a chance if they find themselves on a reasonable mark.

Wishing And Hoping repeatedly jumped left at Kempton on Saturday, a couple of times in exaggerated fashion. As a result, I don’t think the ten-length margin between himself and eventual winner Caribean Boy should be taken literally. His jumping gave away plenty of ground and he wasn’t given a tough time by his jockey, Alex Edwards, from the second-last fence to the line.

The handicapper has dropped him a pound for that effort, having previously dropped him 4lb after he pulled up in the Many Clouds Chase.

He was a comfortable winner off 135 at Aintree in October and, in my book, would have done so off a mark of 141. Being dropped 5lb in just two runs, both in races where conditions would not have been conducive to an optimal performance, seems like a rare act of generosity from the handicapper.

His trainer, Mel Rowley, has regular access to the services of talented amateur Ben Bromley, which gave rise to a thought that the Kim Muir at the Cheltenham Festival could be a suitable target. 

It is worth noting that he ran poorly when pulled up in last year's Festival Hunters Chase on his sole start at Cheltenham. But, whenever he next runs at a left-handed track, he is worth a look off his attractive mark.

NON-MOVERS

Saturday’s Lanzarote hurdle was full of drama. Dans Le Vent was one of a handful who were hampered by the second-flight fall of Ch’tibello, and things didn’t improve much from there for Evan Williams’ runner as he was posted four-wide around the first turn. 

The next mile went far more smoothly for him, but, just as the field turned into the homestraight, jockey Isabel Williams found herself stuck behind a wall of horses as she wanted to make a forward move. Once in the clear, Dans Le Vent showed his customary turn of foot and ran on powerfully, only to again be hampered when Quinta Do Mar fell in front of him.

He is far better than the bare result and I’m sure the Williams team will have taken some solace in seeing that his mark remained unaltered. Dans Le Vent’s run in the Relkeel Hurdle proved that he handles Cheltenham, and he stayed on noticeably well up the notorious hill (although again was hampered by a faller at the last) in by far the most competitive race he has contested. 

He will be of serious interest if he lines up in one of the 2m4f handicap hurdle races at the Cheltenham festival (regular jockey Isabel Williams is eligible for the Martin Pipe conditionals race), although his need to be held up will mean he is always going to require luck in running.  

I was debating which take-away to have for dinner at 2.05pm on Thursday as I watched Joueur Bresilien travel nicely at the head of affairs as they approached the second-last fence at Bangor. However, an error halted his progress before final insult to injury was added when he was hampered by a faller and unseated Sean Bowen after the last, meaning I had crackers and cheese instead!

Despite the end result, that was a step back in the right direction for Rebecca Curtis’ chaser after a series of poor efforts. Joueur Bresilien remains on an unchanged mark of 122, just a solitary pound above his last winning mark, and is surely capable of finding the winner’s enclosure if he is given another chance over three miles on soft or heavy ground.