Oct 23, 2023

Racing Review - Saturday 21 October

Saturday’s season finale at Newton Abbot was the only jumps meeting in England to survive the downpours of Storm Babet and it proved a good afternoon for champion trainer Paul Nicholls and jockey Harry Cobden who landed a treble with Complete Unknown, Farnoge and Take Your Time.

Complete Unknown, twice a winner over fences last season, was the first to strike in the feature £22,500 Talk Tidy Marketing Intermediate Chase run over a distance of two miles and five furlongs. Taking over the lead from Ballygrifincottage at the second fence, Complete Unknown made every yard of the running from thereon, jumping and travelling well. Chasing debutant Might I got to within a length of him at the line and, with a better round of jumping, might well have emerged the winner.

Ten set out for the British Stallion Studs EBF “National Hunt” Novices’ Hurdle (Qualifier), with the second hurdle in the back straight omitted because of the ground, and it went to Uttoxeter bumper winner Farnoge who made a winning debut over jumps to see off the challenge of Flying Fortune by three lengths with the rest of the field well strung out behind.

Despite being beaten last time out, the handicapper had raised Investment Manager by 2lbs meaning he had to defy 12-2, giving weight all round, in the Racing Partnership Novices’ Handicap Chase over three and a quarter miles. With joint-favourite Back Yourself no threat from the penultimate fence, it looked like Investment Manager, whose eight runs this season have all been at the course, would defy his burden as he went two lengths clear, but he was caught on the run-in by Take Your Time, who was making his first run over fences a winning one.

The afternoon hadn’t got off to a good start for Nicholls, however, as Iceo, looking to follow up his win over the course earlier in the month, was well beaten in the opening Paul And Shauna’s Silver Wedding Celebration Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase. Iceo had eased slightly in the betting from 4/7 to 4/6 before the start and, having made all the running until after jumping the third-last fence, quickly faded out of contention as JPR One took control, comfortably beating Monviel to make a winning chase debut.

Winning trainer Joe Tizzard was on the mark again when Rose Of Arcadia, ridden by his nephew Freddie Gingell, made a winning return to hurdles when taking the second-most valuable race of the afternoon, the Newton Abbot Racecourse On Facebook Handicap Hurdle, holding Whitehotchillifili by a neck, before Taunton winner Little Else under Rex Dingle just edged out Balkardy in another thriller in the Joe Atkinson Celebrating Happy Retirement Day Handicap Hurdle.

It was left to 7/4 favourite Walks Like The Man, bought for £225,000 after winning an Irish point-to-point, to send racegoers home happy when getting the better of outsider Pirates’ Tale in the William Hill Betting TV Open National Hunt Flat Race to round off the afternoon and the season.

Racing returns to Newton Abbot Racecourse on Easter Saturday 30 March in 2024 – save the date for all 2024 fixtures