The old enemy came off best in the final skirmishes with three of the four odds on favourites biting the dust. The winning favourites were 1/3 and 5/2 to give punters a smidgeon of relief but the real damage to their wallets was done in the second race when Pistolet Noir could finish only second having being backed from an opening 9/2 into 2/1. The Phillip Hobbs trained runner was heavily supported right up to the off and it seemed the money was well placed when the horse went to the front on the run to the second last fence. However, despite still being in front jumping the last his nearest pursuer Prince Louis was battling on gamely and that persistence paid off as Pistolet Noir started to wilt under the pressure. To the layers delight the Charlie Mann trained Prince Louis forced his way back to the front to win all out by three quarters of a length. This race may well prove to be a good one in the context of its class with the third horse home and chasing debutant Little Eaglet running an eye catching race in third and a stiffer track will benefit his cause. All three are capable of winning again in this grade.

The opening race had in my opinion looked a formality for the Nicky Henderson trained Proud Prescence especially after his form was franked on Saturday in the big novice handicap at Sandown Park. However, he fell at the second last hurdle and although he was closing down the eventual winner Sophies Trophy, he had been off the bridle for some time and victory was far from assured. Unfortunately the fall took his life. Sophies Trophy was given a great front running ride by local jockey Colin Bolger and after the favourite’s departure was always holding on to his advantage.

Bolger nearly made it a double when a strong ride on the top weighted Honours Dream in the staying chase just failed to reel in the favourite Abbey Dore. Honours Dream had been under pressure for the whole of the final circuit but kept responding bravely and was getting back to the eventual winner who was noticeably tiring on the run in. The form looks fairly average for this grade.

Lewes trainer Jim Best recently acquired the mare Gamesters Lady and it has proved a decent purchase with the mare recording her first victory over hurdles for the yard in the 2m handicap. She saw off the controversial recent Wincanton winner Hiddensee in comprehensive fashion. Jim said “She has now won for us on the AW and over hurdles since she came to us. There are no great plans for her and she will switch between codes and we will see where she takes us.”

The Jim and Tom Best team also came close to registering a double when their Count Boris attempted to make all the running, as Gamesters Lady had done earlier, under the local and in form conditional rider Marc Goldstein. A good ride and a tough response from Count Boris was not enough to break the horses run of placed performances with a win and he was forced to accept second place for the fourth time in five starts. The victory went to Ethiopia whose return to form came from out of the blue. After a long absence he had showed virtually nothing but saw out the near 3m 2f trip best of all as he collared Count Boris on the run in.

The short priced Raquel White took the 2m mares novice hurdle without  too much fuss from Mayberry, who appeared likely to throw down a sterner challenge to the winner but who ultimately appeared to not quite see out the race. The win was notable for the jockey Rhys Flint as it meant he has now ridden out his claim.

The ride of the day goes without  doubt to Joshua Moore whose reputation as a quality jockey continues to grow. Having hunted rode his partner Sebastiano on the inside rail before making ground effortlessly running down the back straight for the final time. At that point he made a very bad mistake at the third last which appeared to have put him out of contention. Joshua quietly gathered his horse together and let him regain his composure and got him running again to such effect that going to the final fence he was on the girth of leader Star Galaxy who himself was trying to provide Rhys Flint with a quick fire double. Joshua steadied his mount to grab a last, valuable gasp of air into his lungs before seeing a good stride at the last and a great leap from his partner put him upsides. Set alight on the run in the horse quickened past his rival to win, a victory which owed much to the quality of the ride.

The evening was  extended by a few drinks afterwards at the The Engineer pub in Brighton. They have won the Racing Pub of the Year prize, and it is very clear to see why. It’s a shrine to racing, with football relegated to it’s proper place. It’s definitely a great place to watch racing during the Festivals or on a Saturday afternoon.      

This is always a nervous week for our insurers, whose support along with SIS’s sponsorship enables us to offer the £60,000 Cheltenham Festival Bonus.  As it currently stands Bensalem is the shortest price of the possible contenders, for Tuesday’s RSA Chase. Mobaasher is entered in Wednesday’s National Hunt Chase, and Nomecheki has multiple entries with the Grand Annual on Friday currently favoured.   

I am looking forward to our racemeeting tomorrow which looks like being a gorgeous day, and then being at Cheltenham on Thursday and Friday, and hoping to cheer Kauto Star home. My first visit to the Festival was for Dawn Run’s Gold Cup, and have tried to make it for at least one day every year ever since. There were a couple of years where I haven’t gone, but as with most of us Jump fans, it is a week that I look forward to more than any other all year.

Nicky Henderson has a choice of four prospects to send down from his Lambourn base of which Proud Presence and Anquetta look to be the pick.

The former holds an alternative entry in the big EBF novice final at Sandown a couple of days earlier so if he misses that engagement and comes to Plumpton he is likely to be a very short price favourite.

Anquetta has enjoyed a promising start to his career and will be a live player if fulfilling his entry so it would appear that the Henderson team will have a great say in the outcome of this contest.

I would not choose to oppose either of the two entries mentioned but the Alan King trained Ravethebrave is certainly no back number.

He was a point winner in Ireland and stamina looks to be his strong suit. An encouraging run at Doncaster toward the end of January in a race where the form has some substance to it strongly suggests that he has a future and significant progress can be anticipated. Although he may find the configuration of Plumpton against him he is worth noting for the future as is the Emma Lavelle trained Ravenclaw if he too takes his chance. He has the make and shape of a chaser.

All of those mentioned look potential future winners.

The following novices’ handicap chase also features a few individuals who appear to have some progression in them. Henrietta Knight is not a regular visitor to the track but should Little Eaglet make his fencing debut here his hurdling form suggests he could easily be seen as leniently treated.

Lightly raced he has shown encouragement to this point and his run behind Lord Singer at Fontwell last time could prove to be much better than it at first appeared. If he takes to the larger obstacles he will be difficult to beat.

Should they stand their ground, his principal rivals are likely to be Cloud Nine from the David Pipe yard and Charlie Mann’s Prince Louis. Cloud Nine was entered at the last meeting when I fancied his chances but he did not take up the engagement and subsequently fell at only the second fence last week at Wincanton. He has an entry for the Cheltenham Festival but may now come here and will be supported to put the Wincanton disappointment behind him. I was also very keen on the chance of Prince Louis when he appeared here at Plumpton earlier this season. Unfortunately he crashed out at an early stage so my belief that he has much more to offer was never given a chance to be tested. His transfer to the capable Charlie Mann was one of the chief reasons why I felt he was handicapped to win and that theory will be proved or otherwise in the weeks ahead.

It is an interesting event and the winner is highly likely to come from the three mentioned.

The mares hurdle has a number of protagonists that represent quality stables and who have the potential to improve markedly on what they have achieved on the racecourse to date.  Emma Lavelles Mayberry (who will appreciate better ground) and the Henderson trained Synthe Davis fall into that category.

The Jevington based trainer Anna Newton Smith recorded a double at the last meeting and her Pomander and Quartz De Montceaux will give her a great chance of following up those victories if they turn up on Monday. The staying handicap hurdle and chases on the card that they will respectively contest do not have great strength in depth at the five day stage and with the yard obviously in great heart they should both play leading roles. The Lewes trainer Suzy Smith has Jordan entered in the hurdle and she may prove the stiffest opponent that Pomander will face. Quartz De Montceaux is likely to find the Renee Robeson trained Millarky a tough opponent and Robeson has also entered Jardin De Vienne in the two mile chase. If either make the journey they should both be respected.

Jim Best looks on the face of it to have the two mile handicap hurdle at his mercy with his three entries and I am certain he will pick the right one to get the job done.

Preparations for Monday’s meeting have been affected by the recent dry spell which has included a cold easterly wind blowing across the course drying the surface, indeed no rain had been recorded since the 28th February. Going for entries last Monday was Good to Soft but by Wednesday afternoon it had become Good with Good to Firm places and with the cold and dry weather set to continue the decision was made to water.

6mm of irrigation was applied to the racing surface Thursday/Friday and on completion the going was described as Good. Mid-afternoon on Friday saw the arrival of showers which continued into the evening and resulted in 4mm of rain being recorded. I walked the course again Saturday morning and declared the going to be Good to Soft, with dry conditions set to prevail between now and racing.

The two winners that were sent out by Anna provided a tasty 44/1 double for her followers and the victory of her Portrait Royale was especially satisfying for the Jevington trainer.

Anna explained “She had a foot injury which has kept her off of the track for three months. Sally who rides her out regularly at home has been telling me she was really coming to herself. The conditions were ideal today, she loves the soft ground, and that was her second win in her last three starts.”

The race itself was full of incident with the joint favourite Newbay Bob falling at the third last. Pass Me A Dime and Its A Classic were duelling for the lead from the home bend with no quarter asked or given and Portrait Royale sitting a couple of lengths off of them in third.

At the second last Pass Me A Dime jumped slightly to his right and fell heavily bringing down his rival in the process.

Portrait Royale avoided the carnage and sauntered up the hill to record an ultimately easy success.

I asked Anna if she felt the mare would have won anyway.

“Harry (the jockey) said he was holding on to something and felt the other two were coming back to him. From his confidence it seems to me she would have won anyway.”

Another mare Pomander provided the second leg of the double as she belied her 14/1 odds to take the final race in effortless fashion.

It would appear on this performance that Pomander is progressing and she will attract a deal of attention on her next start.

It will be interesting to see how the handicapper reacts.

Gary Moore fired in a short price double with Action Impact in the opening novice hurdle and Lord Singer in the two mile handicap hurdle.

Both are progressive novices.

Gary commented “I was pleased with both. Lord Singer is very headstrong and will be much better when he learns to settle. He really wants a fence.”

Also Marc Goldstein, the son of former iron man of the saddle Ray Goldstein, gave course specialist Sumdancer a text book ride when recording a facile success in the two mile chase to give a Sussex connection to a fifth of the six winners on the day.

He had given the eight year old a similarly accomplished ride on their last outing but the extra half a mile that day found out the geldings stamina and the drop back in trip here suited him ideally.

Marc explained “The last time I wasn’t holding on to much just hoping The Hardy Boy would come back to me. The drop back in trip made the difference today.

He likes to bowl along, got in a nice rhythm and jumped well.”

The Cheltenham Festival is less than two weeks away and Marc is looking forward to a great ride there on Sheena West’s Tobago Bay in the conditional jockeys’ race.

Marc said “It’s worked out well with his handicap mark. Two mile five looks ideal and he is in great form. I can’t wait.”

The opening maiden hurdle over the minimum trip has a couple of entries from the Cisswood stables of Gary Moore.

Action Impact is an Argentinian bred who has experience on the flat and in his two runs over hurdles this winter has shown ability particularly at Newbury when making the places behind Nicky Henderson’s Cheltenham prospect Quantitativeeasing.

That form would appear to suggest he would be a major player should he stand his ground.

The alternative for the Moore team is Beau Fighter.

His run last time when pulled up at Lingfield should be forgotten as it looks to have come too quickly after a very encouraging third here at Plumpton behind another Cheltenham bound prospect, Salden Licht, who hails from the powerful Alan King yard.

So Moore has a strong entry and either will be toward the front of the market.

It is not often that you see a hurdler from the Paul Cole yard but he has General Elliott entered for the race.

He has been contesting Group and Listed events on the flat so this is quite a surprising entry and it will be interesting to see how he takes to this discipline on his debut if he turns up.

The market will be an a good guide to expectations.

Others worth noting in the race are the Venetia Williams trained Mega watt and Charlie Egertons Very Edgy.

Both trainers have excellent records at the track.

The 2m handicap hurdle has attracted a good entry with Lewes trainer Jim Best saddling Calzaghe who has won four of his five starts this term.

Jim has changed the horse’s training routine to freshen him up and it did the trick with the gelding winning on his last start after a break.

He will be the yardstick that his opponents will have to exceed and Gary Moore will be hoping his promising novice will rise to that challenge.

He was very free last time at Fontwell but overcame that youthful exuberance to record his first win.

Other entries of note are Viva Colonia, Whimper and Jordans Light but it is highly likely that if either of the Moore or Best trained runners turn up they will take the beating.

In the amateur riders staying handicap chase Anna Newton Smith is hoping to get Portrait Royale back to the track.

Though the run will sharpen up the mare there is no doubt in the trainers mind that she is capable of winning again off of her current rating.

With this in mind her performance should be noted for a later date.

Though the race is not overscribed in terms of numbers it has a very competitive look to it.

Noble Bily was very well supported on his most recent outing and Pass Me A Dime representing the Tizzard yard are a couple who should feature prominently.

The novice handicap chase has a couple of entries from the stables of Henrietta Knight who is an infrequent visitor to the track.

Both Ballymara and Bertenbar have the ratings of modest horses but that is not something you immediately associate with their team and they should be respected for that reason.

Paddock inspection on the day may be quite revealing.

There have been a few punts on the Jamie Poulton trained Wheres Johnny here in the past but he has failed to deliver and maybe the Telscombe trainer can this time coax something extra out of a horse who must show more at home than he does on the track.

David Pipe has an entry in the lightly raced Cloud Nine who showed much improved for m on his last start at Leicester and the drop back to two and a half miles should suit him ideally.

Rileyev has been very disappointing this term after early encouragement but is from the Venetia Williams yard who always merit great respect here at Plumpton.

The other one to note is Grand Bay who is looking to break his maiden in the jumping sphere after eighteen previous attempts.

Despite that poor record he has gone off favourite in his last two starts and the Jonjo O’Neill team are in good form.

The concluding mares handicap hurdle is very tough to figure out looking at the five day entries but Tara Taylor could play a leading role.

Potential betting opportunities would be Gary Moore’s representative in the opening maiden hurdle, Lord Singer in the two mile handicap hurdle and Cloud Nine for David Pipe in the novice chase.

I am sometimes asked what we do between racemeetings – which I always take positively as the organisation of the day must look effortless, rather than the result of a lot of hard work and planning which it is.  I have worked in a number of companies and I can definitively say that working at a racecourse is the longest hours and hardest work I have ever done. It is also the best job I have ever had.

In addition to this, as anyone who follows the racing press will be aware, there is a lot of ongoing discussion within racing at the moment about funding, fixtures and change. The future structure of the fixture list and funding of racing through the levy is all under review, and I need to ensure that Plumpton is getting it’s voice heard and the impact of any changes on small winter jump courses is understood by the decision makers.  It looks as though battle lines have been drawn by racing -  hopefully we should begin to get a clearer idea of what may happen with funding in 2011 which will enable us to plan more effectively ahead.

Gary Moore and Phillip Hide combined as trainer and jockey to complete a short priced double on the card with the juvenile hurdler Orzare and the mare Megasue.

Both were easy winners of their respective events and there were little or no concerns for their supporters from well before two hurdles out as the pair proved far too strong for their opponents.

Orzare did have an entry for the Triumph Hurdle but the trainer suggested that was never really his target and that the Fred Winter was always a more realistic prospect and all being well that is where he will now go.

Megasue was a close second at the last meeting and ended a run of placed finishes to win the mares contest with a great deal of authority.

The last in the series of novice chases which entitles its individual winners to a £50000 bonus should they then go onto win at this year’s Cheltenham Festival produced a good finish and a fine ride from Aidan Coleman aboard the winner Mobaasher.

The horse does not appear to like being in front for too long and having stalked the pace setting Giles Cross for the majority of the 3m 2f contest he produced him after the last before cheekily nipping up the inside of his rival to win quite readily.

Mobaasher has produced some good performances in Graded class over hurdles and attained a rating of 153 in that discipline.

If he could reproduce that level of ability over fences he is potentially an attractively handicapped horse and the William Hill Trophy at the Festival might very well be a consideration for his trainer Venetia Williams.

The handicap hurdle over 2m 5f looked a decent contest for its grade and there was good money about in the morning and on course markets for two or three of the runners.

Three of the less exposed hurdlers came clear of the field rounding the turn for home and at the second last flight it was tough to choose the winner.

Between the last two the Nick Gifford trained Ballybach gained a narrow advantage from Preuty Boy with Samurai Way dropping a length or so off the pace but still battling hard for his rider.

Preuty Boy, who had been the first horse off the bridle, regained a slender lead despite being bumped by his rival nearing the last and then jumped it well which is something Ballybach unfortunately did not do as he crashed to the ground giving his rider Liam Treadwell a heavy fall.

Preuty Boy showed a very likeable attitude to gain his win for trainer Alan Fleming who expects him to be a better horse over fences.

He will give him time to mature and progress.

Sussex trainer Nick Gifford had better luck in the concluding bumper with the promising Dusky Bob.

He went off favourite here as he did at Fontwell on his debut but was given a much more positive ride on this occasion and stayed on well to gain a decisive victory.

The Nicky Henderson trained Tanks For That was a narrow favourite in the 2m 1f beginners chase and was effectively left to come home in his own time after Shoreacres fell at the third last fence. He had made all the running to that point and had seen off the weakening Bormo but not Shoreacres who was travelling well under Wilson Renwick.

Things are not going well for Brendan Powells charge over fences but it could result in him being a well handicapped horse in the future.

He is not a bad jumper, he just landed a bit steeply here.

AP McCoy rode Tanks For That and as a result followed up his win in this race last year when he scored his 3000^th winner as a jockey.

The Paul Nicholls pair Inchidaly Rock and Forest Pennant are included amongst the entries and both would undoubtedly be strong contenders with the preference for the former who is also the ante post favourite for the four mile contest at the Festival.

However both have been declared for events on Saturday and it would appear we are likely to see either only if one of Saturday’s meetings fall victim to the weather.

The same scenario also applies to the Alan King trained Bensalem but we did have the pleasure of seeing him win an earlier race in this series back in November.

In their absence Charlie Mann and Venetia Williams, who both have such a good record at the track, are likely to dominate the market with their respective entries Sullomo and Mobaasher.

There looks little to separate the two and it will probably come down to which of them jumps most fluently.

The opening juvenile hurdler’s has entries from the powerful of stables of Paul Nicholls and Nicky Henderson and will all be potentially making their hurdling debuts.

The Nicholls representative is Sunwise who was lightly raced for the John Oxx stable in Ireland and who was fitted with blinkers on his final start and he broke his maiden as a result.

He contested middle distance affairs, gained a rating of 95 and that would have meant he would be contesting top class handicaps on the flat and had the potential to develop into a listed class performer. What he is doing jumping a hurdle now is a matter of conjecture. It could be they paid a fortune for him or he is nothing like as good as his rating suggests. Or both of course.  

Henderson has two entries and both Monetary Fund and Onemix cut a similar profile.

Both were progressively stepped up in trip to middle distances on the flat, both won just the one race and both ended up with similar ratings that suggested they were fair performers at a reasonable level.

The market will give us a clue as to their worth.

Others to consider are Group Leader who made an encouraging hurdles debut at Doncaster in what looked a fairly decent race. Evening Sunset won on his hurdles debut here and Nicky Nutjob will have to carry a big penalty and likes good decent ground but has been tried in high grade early season events.

All are only fair performers at best and if one of the newcomers are above average they will be difficult to beat.

The 2m 5f handicap hurdle looks as though it will be very competitive and the locally owned Gee Dee Nen tops the weights. He has been quietly progressive over the course of this season and this represents a slight drop in grade and he looks certain to be involved in the finish.

Mous Of Men is the only five day entry from David Pipe and if he makes the long journey has to be taken seriously as will either of Nicky Henderson’s pair Bonikos and Prince De Beury. Alan King and Nick Gifford also have entries but one I am quite interested in is Preuty Boy from the Alan Fleming yard. It looks certain that this trip in slowish ground will show him to best advantage and this novice could be well handicapped.

The beginners chase over the minimum trip is likely to feature the return to the track of Shoreacres who some would argue was a bit unlucky not to win that day.

If the Brendan Powell trained gelding fulfils his engagement he will be tough to beat and his principal rivals will be Bormo (A King), Gibbonsgrove (JJ O’Neill) and Tanks For That (N Henderson).

Whoever turns up the winner looks certain to come from one of this quartet.

The mares hurdle and the bumper which concludes the card are both well subscribed and at this stage we look to have the prospect of a competitive card with some decent quality performers on show. Megasue for local trainer Gary Moore is worth noting in the mares event.