The two-day meeting that is the Chepstow Jump Season Opener concludes in South Wales on Saturday, 12 October with a seven-race card. Handicaps dominate here with the Silver Trophy Handicap Hurdle acting as the feature contest.
Novice chasers go for the Robert Mottram Memorial Trophy in Listed action. Other handicaps you can take a punt on through horse racing betting sites on this day include the Native River Handicap Chase remembering the Welsh Grand National and Cheltenham Gold Cup hero.
A four-year-olds only handicap hurdle also usually proves informative. Chepstow also has the John Ayres Memorial Handicap Chase on this card, so there is a real emphasis on competitive racing as the core National Hunt season gets underway.
Chepstow Jump Season Opener Saturday Preview
1:35 – 2m Juvenile Hurdle
Only five in this three-year-olds only contest and all newcomers to obstacles. Of the three with Flat form, MY NOBLE LORD won his last three and four of his last five. JP McManus has since purchased him out of the Newmarket yard of Michael Bell and sent the son of Noble Mission to the Oliver Greenall & Josh Guerriero partnership.
My Noble Lord certainly achieved more on the level for his 83 Flat rating than Rapid Mission (82). Alan King’s Rakki (75) is a maiden despite eight starts in that code. As a half-brother to the pretty useful Nemean Lion, City Of London has the more interesting profile of the unraced duo for Kerry Lee. Evan Williams newcomer Kotgar completes the line-up.
2:10 – 2m 4-Y-O Limited Handicap Hurdle
Paul Nicholls has won this three times since 2016 with decent prospects and dual Listed winner LIARI could be the latest from Ditcheat to land the spoils. After Aintree and Musselburgh victories, connections went to the Fred Winter at Cheltenham instead of saving him for the Grand National Festival. That was a mis-step.
Liari has 3lb of slack cut by the assessor here and, given the way that the yard targets the Chepstow Jump Season Opener with runners, he has to be high on the shortlist. Those in-behind him as a juvenile are better off with the weights, however, and course and distance winner Roaring Legend now goes handicapping for Olly Murphy.
He also has a race-fitness edge following a successful reappearance around Stratford last month. Mighty Bandit also fits into this category following a flat campaign over the summer and that form posted on the level by Warren Greatrex’s charge looks solid.
At the foot of the weights is Letterston Lily, another fit from summer jumping, and she could have place prospects again down in trip. Only subsequent Listed winner Gale Mahler was too good for her at Market Rasen and she’s since defied a penalty at Worcester and hit the frame in a Class 2 handicap involving older horses around the same venue.
2:45 – 2m 3.5f Tom Malone Bloodstock Novices’ Chase for the Robert Mottram Memorial Trophy
Course hurdles winner Cuthbert Dibble was the best of these over timber and has a 140 rating from that sphere after his Pertemps Final third. Although Nigel Twiston-Davies has his string in fine form, this test looks plenty sharp enough for his runner who prefers more cut in the ground.
Boombawn has experience of fences, yet is only one from four over them. Last season’s Persian War second Resplendent Grey is an interesting recruit to this discipline, but has something to find on Cheltenham form with Springwell Bay. Amateur rider David Maxwell takes Mombasa over fences for the first time here, but he will surely need the run after almost 12 months off the track.
3:20 – 2m 3.5f Silver Trophy Handicap Hurdle
Jonjo O’Neill, Philip Hobbs and Nicholls all run a couple, meanwhile. The former saddles joint topweight Credbilly and new recruit Jipcot, who looks open to further progress as a five-year-old. Similar comments apply to Into The Park with the Hobbs yard’s also responsible for Lowry’s Bar.
Ditcheat sends out the hardy Afadil, but Irish Hill looks the pick of the Nicholls pair in an obviously competitive and wide-open handicap. Tom Lacey often does well with his runners at the Chepstow Jump Season Opener, so it’ll be interesting to see if impressive Punchestown Festival winner Tune In A Box can defy a 15lb rise from the assessor.
4:00 – 2m 3.5f John Ayres Memorial Handicap Chase
Homme Public is just 1lb above his last winning mark, but stable conditional Toby Wynne now takes the ride and 3lb off with his claim, so he could be well-treated taking that into account. Il Ridoto looks well-handicapped and makes the shortlist as a result, but may have one of the big pre-Christmas races at Cheltenham as his target.
Instead, The King Of Ryhope made a winning reappearance over course and distance last term. One of two for the Skelton stable, he appears to be their first string. Jetoile is only 1lb above the mark he won the Grade 2 Old Roan Chase off on his return last season, so may be well-treated for Ryan Potter and returning jockey Daryl Jacob.
4:35 – 2m 7.5f Native River Handicap Chase
As with the other handicap over fences, many of these will have lofty targets later in the campaign. Some, including topweight Nassalam and Kitty’s Light may have the Grand National on the agenda again. Topham Chase winner Arizona Cardinal also fits into this category. Skelton runs two, but neither Sail Away nor Ballygrifincottage make much appeal.
Fergal O’Brien duo PULL AGAIN GREEN and Manofthepeople are of interest, however. The former chased home the now 152-rated Ultima hero Chianti Classico off level weights over course and distance at this meeting 12 months ago. Although 1lb out of the handicap, Pull Again Green is 1lb lower than his second place from the Chepstow Jump Season Opener of 2023.
Manofthepeople, meanwhile, is a dual course winner and choice of stable jockey Jonny Burke. He might need the run and want further, based on his 3m 2f success at Cheltenham in April, so preference is for the race-fit Pull Again Green with connections surely targeting this event off the back of last year’s exploits.
Speaking of this meeting in 2023, Stolen Silver won this very race off 4lb lower. Sam Thomas’ nine-year-old has 5lb claimer Dylan Johnston taking the ride now, offsetting that rise in the weights. Stolen Silver does have a lengthy racecourse absence of 315 days to overcome, but goes well fresh and is locally-trained.
