Thoughts on Today’s Runners

Seneca Chief goes in the 2.00 at Wolverhampton. Adam McNamara is in the saddle for the five furlong handicap. He had a difficult task from the widest draw made impossible when bumped wide on his return from a long layoff last time out. Once again he has had the misfortune to be drawn widest of all. Retains the ability that saw him competitive at this level, but will need a bit of luck.

The race looks open and nothing has the benefit or a recent run so hard to know where any of them will be. Awsaaf has dropped down the grades after a string of disappointing efforts, but refreshed after a break could be a class above this if recapture some of the old spark. Q Twenty Boy arguably has shown the enough raw ability over this trip and drops to a lower grade then he has run for most of his career, but is lightly raced the last couple of years.

Seneca Chief is owned and was bred by Gary and Lesley Middlebrook. He will be led up by Billie Portwin and overseen by Shaun Johnson at the races this evening.

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Hydraulic runs in the 8.30 at Newbury, with Rossa Ryan taking his first ride for the yard in the ten furlong novice race. Hydraulic is a very tall rangy gelding and probably wouldn’t have made his debut until this sort of time in any case. He is the type who will learn plenty from his first race and with some of the opposition having already shown very good form he will has a stiff task on his hands. The locality of the track is main appeal for starting out here to give him some experience.

Encipher and Al Madhar looked exciting prospects when winning over seven furlongs at Newbury and Newmarket respectively last July, that they didn’t reappear after that is a slight concern but they set a very strong standard if repeating that sort of form. Vintage Rascal did nothing wrong when winning on debut and could be open to more improvement. Inherent has very good pedigree and if he lives up to it is a very exciting newcomer.

Hydraulic was purchased by Daniel and Claire for his owners David Blunt and Gary Middlebrook. He is by Golden Horn out of Dorcas Lane who both excelled over a mile and a half and he will probably thrive over that sort of distance. He will be led up by Eloise Chapman this evening.