Jun 15, 2023

Racing Review - Weds 14 June

Favourite Noahthirtytwored, trained at Epsom by Adam West, won for the second time over fences when beating top-weight Light N Strike to land Newton Abbot’s feature £25,000 Peninsula Finance PLC Handicap Chase.

Light N Strike, raised to a career-high rating of 143 following his win at Warwick last time and set to carry 12-0 here, made a bold effort to defy top weight, still holding a length lead at the final fence. However, an awkward jump and stumble on landing handed the advantage to Noahthirtytwored, who quickly went clear on the short run-in to give this season’s leading jockey Sean Bowen his 29th winner.

The opening newtonabbotracing.com Novices’ Handicap Chase went to Sharp Note, backed from 15/4 to 11/4 second-favourite behind Southwell hurdle winner Tommydan. Ridden by Micheal Nolan, recently announced as the new stable jockey to Philip Hobbs and Johnson White, Sharp Note tracked Huntingdon winner Heneryetta Bay until asserting at the penultimate fence to go six lengths clear, with Tommydan, the only other finisher, a further 68 lengths behind.

The veteran Ayr Of Elegance, 4lbs lower than when winning at Stratford last July, got back on the winning trail when beating hat-trick seeking Komedy Kicks in the Talk Tidy Marketing Mares’ Handicap Hurdle over two and a quarter miles. The outsider of the party, Ayr Of Elegance, having led at the third-last flight, saw off the challenge of Komedy Kicks whose cause wasn’t helped by an untidy jump at the last.

Myristica, trained by David Pipe, was beaten a head by Komedy Kicks at Worcester before running out a wide-margin winner at Southwell three weeks ago. With three absentees, she faced just four rivals in the Newton Abbot Racecourse On Facebook Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle with only Tique, who was making her hurdles debut, thought likely to give her a race. Tique’s challenge came to an end at the third-last flight, however, where she unseated Daniel Sansom, leaving Myristica and Jack Tudor to coast home from Ryder’s Rock still on the bridle.

The consistent Opening Bid, trained by Chris Down at Cullompton, became the third winning favourite in a row when landing the Sky Sports Racing Sky 415 Handicap Chase, comfortably seeing off Princess Midnight who was finishing runner-up for the second race running.

Trainer Seamus Mullins, on the mark with Sharp Note in the first, made it a double on the afternoon when 15/2 shot Vin Rouge, ridden by Sam Twiston-Davies, readily beat top-weight Kolisi, a market drifter from 4/1 to 13/2, by eight lengths in the Peninsula Finance PLC Handicap Hurdle.

With Six And Out an absentee, it was Corporal Jackjones, a winner at the last meeting, who headed the market for the closing newtonabbotracing.com Open National Hunt Flat Race. Backed from 15/8 to 6/5, he had to carry a penalty for that win, but did so successfully beating newcomer Maillot Vert with ease.

Racing returns to Newton Abbot Racecourse on Tuesday 27 June with the social highlight of the racing season… Ladies Day! Tickets are on sale now – book Paddock Enclosure tickets in advance to save money BOOK NEWTON ABBOT RACECOURSE TICKETS