Southwell - Tuesday Nov 21

The official ground was on the soft side of good but the times suggested it was riding on the dead side, and they finished quiet tired generally.

The opening handicap chase was significant in that there were four horses that need holding up and anything that led into the straight was going to have to face down the snipers late on.

The money for Global Domination was a queer one as he'd been off for a very long time and I thought he would need the run for all that they must have got a load of work into him.

As a winner over 3m he looked the one that was going to make the pace and looked extremely vulnerable even before he started jumping right and was essentially beaten turning in.

Chasma and Manwell came through from the back and the pair rose as one three out, but two better leaps from the former essentially sealed the deal here, which was more than a shame for your correspondent, who was all over the runner-up after his sighter here last time. The England yard is not having the best of luck, it must be said.

Chasma has improved for fences which is surprising bearing in mind her physique, and winning first time out from a much higher mark is some feat of training, so hats off to her handler who also sent out Rear Admiral first time last week.

Pretty Reckless wasn't able to pick up from a 5lb higher perch while Captain Mowbray again went in snatches and punters surely can't keep giving him the benefit of what has become a huge pile of doubt.

The novice chase was a peach of a race especially if you fancied the winner Fountains Windfall, who should have been a short price favourite on his progressive hurdles form, while the trainer had been clear about the regard in which he is held.

In Stowaway Magic he had a fit opponent with loads of ability, but the Henderson inmate needed to improve a chunk to stare the winner in the face and having done so two out was readily brushed aside by a horse with RSA Chase aspirations. He's got loads of scope and I liked him.

The next was a messy affair before during and after, H Bannister doubling up aboard Hoke Colburn. Nothing much appealed, Suggestion still looking narrow and weak and this flat bred appeared not to get home, while Scooby looked well and having strengthened up could progress this year, but he really needs further and maybe fences will be on the agenda. Good ground suits, too.

A staying hurdle for novices came up next and it was match featuring Another Stowaway, who chased home subsequent Cheltenham winner On The Blind Side last time out.

If that run was to be taken on trust, he was a shoo-in but this was a longer trip and he hasn't looked straight forward in the prelims and again was on his toes - there was something, maybe a slightly high head carriage, that didn't make him a good odds-on shot.

In Equus Secretus he faced a previous winner and one who has stamina to burn, a good strong animal who can only improve.

With B Pauling's star in the ascendancy we just had to side with the youngster despite having to shoulder the penalty and he gutsed it out from the last with a performance to be proud of.

I had been keen all day on the chance of Banjo Girl in the mares novice hurdle on the back of a promising outing at the track last term, mentioned in dispatches here. 

The soft ground did for her on that occasion but the form of that run was still better than anything the hot favourite Passing Call had achieved on her return to action last time.

The King horse was heavily supported but I'd seen her a couple of times and wasn't that impressed with her small frame or the way she travelled in a race.

I didn't think the market was right here off level weights and although I wasn't bowled over by Banjo Girl beforehand, she looked just about straight enough to get the job done, and so it proved.

I think she got tired after the last but stuck on well and she gained lengths at each obstacle which may have been the difference. She's not entirely straight forward, but likeable and can go on from this albeit at a sensible level.

I don't 'do' handicap hurdles very well but even the most myopic could see that Vado Forte was the one to be on in the next, in the absence of anything much else to get excited about.

The T Lacey inmate has enough size about him to think he'll be half decent in time, and with the drop in trip to suit it was his for the taking.

Unfortunately, the race was shot to pieces by the mid-race move of perennial shithouse Hey Bob and the much-improved C Bewley, who stole 10 lengths and more on the field when the pace dropped to a crawl.

The hard-pulling maiden seemed to enjoy the freedom out front, to the extent that he actually dug in for pressure when Vado Forte loomed upside after jumping two-out. Not an easy reverse to swallow, and there was nothing to take from the race.

The mares bumper wasn't too exciting, with Wetherby duo Jane Lamb and Tierra Verde reopposing. The former was backed on the switch from O'Keefe to Skelton but there was a bogey lurking in the shape of the nicely bred Everglades, who duly rattled home under Coleman to get off the mark at the first time of asking.

There's not much of her but she was well prepared, while the third placed Quine Des Champs has enough about her to suggest she can win races over the sticks. Shoreline looked quite weak and may require some time to progress.

Southwell

Morning rain had turned the ground soft in places and with declarations made on good ground there were a number of withdrawals.

Doncaster winner Ypsilanti and Double Treasure don't go on soft and with Starkie failing to repeat his winning effort last week under a penalty the opening handicap chase fell apart.

Unzing may have run to near his mark but a change in tactics ultimately settled things with Ifandbutwhynot seemingly enjoying a return to fences having dropped a ton in the weights, making all to win as he liked.

You wouldn't bet on him backing this up although he'll still be well-in on old form, but whether he is as good as he was is a moot point.

Ypsilanti ran as well as could be expected given the conditions and he shaped as though he will be competitive off this much higher rating.

The second chase on the card fell to Agincourt Reef on his return to fences, having shown a decent level of form to win at Wetherby over timber on Boxing Day.

He just lacks for a bit of size and clobbered one on the first circuit but jumped well enough thereafter. However, stiffer fences could catch him out, and again the ground wouldn't have suited some of these.

Johns Luck again travelled well before appearing to be held by one better handicapped, but he's a nice horse who is likely to continue improving.

Fair play to trainer T Weston for running Thoonavolla as well as Ypsilanti - the former also needs good ground and he looked really burly beforehand after a winter break.

The money came for him which was hugely surprising and I thought he ran really well in the circumstances, being left behind from two out.

He looks like he'll stay 3m well but does tank though his races. I can see him doing well at Stratford this spring which would really suit his style of running and they have races short of 3m there too.

The absence of Gibbes Bay in the maiden hurdle took some of the gloss off the race and it left a short priced favourite in Bobo Mac, a nice type for next season who looked a good thing to get off the mark.

Physically there was nothing to trouble the jolly and although he seemed to make hard work of it in the end, he took it cosily from Banjo Girl, quite a nice mare who was sent on some way out and paid for it from the last. She's ok if a bit small but was fit for this and will prefer better ground.

The paddock sorted them out ahead of the handicap hurdle over 2m, Hear The Chimes wrong in his coat and getting warm, while Hill Fort looked ready to run his race down in grade.

But none of them could deal with the revitalised Beggar's Wishes, who was sent off a very decent 9/2 chance as money came for the moderate Dragon De La Tour, who has yet to deliver and almost certainly wants better ground. He'll come into his own over fences, too.

The Bowen-trained winner looks to be going places at this level and is the type to land a hat-trick this spring; he jumps and will stay further.

Another handicap hurdle, this time over 2m4f, followed and again it was blighted by withdrawals, although it wasn't that competitive to start with and in the end provided a great betting opportunity in the shape of Early Retirement, a nice chasing type that I first saw here a year ago.

He looked more grown up beforehand and was head and shoulders above the rest physically, although Dothraki Raider looked really well after a five month break and should have been fit enough despite a market drift.

The money came late for the Bailey horse, and despite showing greenness in the early part of the race galloped away to win as he liked. This is not form to get carried away with - runner-up Sauvignon hadn't shown much previously but has the size to win races - but the pair came clear and the winner has a future over fences for a really likeable yard.

I believe experience counts for plenty in bumpers, particularly on uneven ground such as this, and it wasn't too surprising that Rosemary Russet (ok sort) showed the benefit of a fair opening effort to outbattle the debutante Grania O'Malley.

The latter was tickled in the betting and is quite a nice looking filly, but was green in the straight and that cost her. Two others with experience came in next; Potters Angelique another likely to come on physically, and Witham, who was disappointing.

However, the Sly inmate is from a staying family that take time to come to themselves and this well-made filly will certainly be up to winning races in the coming years.