Ginger Joe's Notable Entries for the Weekend's Racing

Racing fans, Notable Entries returns this week with another batch of potential stars in the making. Last week’s edition threw up some fascinating talking points and a few truly standout performances.

Il Etait Temps was undoubtedly the headline act in the Tingle Creek at Sandown, where he dismantled Jonbon once again and underlined his status as one of the very best two-mile chasers in Ireland and, on current evidence, superior to what we have in England at present too.

That performance has firmly put him into the Champion Chase picture for March, and despite being beaten at Cheltenham in the past, he fully deserves his chance on the biggest stage.

This week’s edition features another intriguing group to keep onside. We have a mare who could force her way into the Mares’ Chase conversation, a couple of smart novice hurdlers to track, a handicapper on the cusp of graded company, and the return of a former Cheltenham Festival winner.

Plenty to get excited about once again, and worth putting in your trackers!

DIVA LUNA - Ben Pauling

(6yo m) Diamond Boy x Longhouse Presents

Form: 1237-1

Next Race: Warwick, Thursday 11th December - Mares Chase 2m4f

Diva Luna showed huge potential when winning the Grade 2 Mares’ Bumper at Aintree two seasons ago, but she failed to truly fire over hurdles last season, which naturally raised a few questions. However, she answered those emphatically on her chasing debut this season when bolting up at Bangor. That performance was much more like the Diva Luna we’d been waiting to see. She defeated Joyeuse by 19 lengths and did so with obvious ease, but the most eye-catching part of the display was her jumping, which was outstanding throughout. While Bangor isn’t the most demanding jumping track, she executed everything exceptionally well. Warwick will provide a much sterner test, and that’s where we’ll learn a lot more about her. I expect her to handle it just fine, but it will be fascinating to see how she copes with a more testing circuit. If her jumping holds up and she wins well, she could enter the Mares’ Chase conversation for Cheltenham in March. She still has to pass this test first, but she’s a very exciting mare and hopefully she gets it done here.

MINELLA MARATHON - Dan Skelton

(4yo g) Blue Bresil x Saint Goustan

Next Race: Friday 12th December - Novice Hurdle 2m1f

Form: 1-1 Cheltenham, Minella Marathon is one of several new recruits for the Dan Skelton team and arrived with a big reputation after winning his only point-to-point at Liscarroll. He is also an interesting addition as the first horse that owner Ronnie Bartlett has sent to the Skelton yard, and it’s always encouraging to see major owners entrusting their horses to a thriving operation. I like the decision to send him straight over hurdles too, and he made a winning start at Lingfield. Although his jumping left plenty to be desired, he improved his position as the race developed and, once he hit the front at the last, he drew clear in impressive fashion, showing signs of a serious engine. While his jumping clearly needs to improve, the fact he won so easily despite making mistakes actually bodes well for the future, as it leaves plenty of room for progression. He will have to sharpen up at a higher level, but you would expect that to come with experience over the season and he will need that here at Cheltenham this week. He looks another exciting novice hurdler on this side of the Irish Sea, and hopefully he can develop into a smart performer. One thing seems fairly obvious though, this is not a two-miler, he looks every inch a two-and-a-half miler in the making, but he should still be competitive enough over the shorter trip for now.

L’HOMME PRESSE - Venetia Williams

(10yo) Diamond Boy x Romance Turgot

Form: 124/31P-

Next Race: Cheltenham, Friday 12th December - Turners Handicap Chase 3m2f

2022 Brown Advisory winner L’Homme Presse has been a tremendous servant to Venetia Williams over the years, and it’s a real pleasure to see him back in action at Cheltenham this week. He has had his fair share of issues, which may have prevented him from consistently reaching the very top level his talent promised, but at his best he is undoubtedly one of the finest horses Venetia Williams has trained. A multiple Grade 1 winner, L’Homme Presse was once firmly in the Gold Cup conversation and regularly spoken of in connection with the sport’s biggest prizes, even if those ambitions never quite materialised. Still, there’s every chance he has one more big performance left in him. He has an excellent record fresh, having won four times when fresh from five starts. Last year was the only real exception to that trend, when he finished a brilliant third in the King George after nearly 300 days off the track, a performance that arguably deserved more reward. He followed that with another win before pulling up at Ascot in February. He won’t be a betting proposition for me this week, but he typically goes well after a break and wouldn’t be running unless Venetia was confident he was ready. This may not be a race for the wallet, but as a fan of the sport, it’s impossible not to be cheering L’Homme Presse home.
 

JAGWAR - Greenall & Guerriero

(6yo g) Karaktar x Quizas Jolie

Form: 11311-

Next Race: Cheltenham, Saturday, 13th December - December Gold Cup 2m4f

Jagwar was set to line up as favourite for last month’s Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham, only to be declared a non-runner on the eve of the race, a real shame, as he would have been a

major addition to what turned out to be a cracking contest. Fortunately, we finally get to see him in action this season as he lines up in the December Gold Cup on Saturday, and he’s one of the most fascinating runners in the field. He was a seriously progressive chaser last campaign, beginning the season off a mark of just 118 and finishing it rated 148, a hefty 30lb rise that was fully deserved. His victory in the Plate at the Cheltenham Festival was the clearest sign yet that he is a high-class handicapper, and his fondness for the track is another major positive. What really stands out for me with Jagwar is his running style. He’s usually ridden patiently, sitting midfield or even further back before gradually creeping into contention. Then, in the closing stages, he begins to pick off rivals one by one, often doing his very best work late on. That makes him extremely hard to beat, especially as he travels through his races so smoothly and clearly saves plenty for the finish. Now rated 148, a strong performance here could be the springboard into Graded company. If he can get the job done on his return in the December Gold Cup, it would be no surprise to see him moving into bigger races. A very likeable type for the JP McManus operation, and one with clear upside still to come.

CONMAN JOHN - Russell & Scudamore

(5yo g) Malinaas x Shanclough

Form: -511

Next Race: Cheltenham, Saturday 13th December - Albert Bartlett Novice Hurdle Trial (G2) 3m

Conman John earns a place in this week’s Notable Entries after a superb performance at Cheltenham last month. He beat a decent field and only grew stronger as the race unfolded, and it would be great to see him back that effort up here and really throw his name into the Albert Bartlett discussion for March. He has now won his last two starts over hurdles, and what’s been most noticeable is how much he has improved with each step up in trip. The move to three miles has clearly unlocked a completely different horse. His jumping was slick for a staying type and, while he is likely to remain competitive over shorter distances, this extended trip seems to bring out the very best in him and I imagine he will stay over these longer distances. It’s still early days in the season, but he is shaping up like a proper stayer in the making. If he can win again this Saturday, he will deserve to be mentioned among the leading three-mile novices in England. A fascinating runner to watch with the future very much in mind.