Rhythm N Hooves got a good spot from Stall 1, but his early greenness cost him in the end.
He wasn't overly keen, but in a sprint race, you need to make sure you have everything in your favour. Rhythm N Hooves was a little keen for the first two furlongs, and that might have been the reason his kick at the end wasn't as strong as it threatened to be.
There was a moment where I thought he was going to stay on strong enough to beat the front two, who were putting in a good effort, but it wasn't meant to be. Good run nonetheless.
Jetty May 9/2 (1pt) – Newton Abbot 8.50
We're going to have to wait till the last race of the day at Newton Abbot to see if Jetty May can give us a winner on Tuesday.
I've not had a runner over the jumps in quite a while, but I wasn't too confident in anything on the flat. Jetty May makes her chasing debut in a fairly ordinary race, so there's no reason to believe that she can't win.
Paul Nicholls isn't the force of old, but he's still a very top trainer, who has his yard firing very well at the start of this new jumps season. They are performing at a 31% strike rate and a 42% over fences, which gives me plenty of confidence in this horse's chasing debut.
She has a big weight of 12st to carry around, which will make life difficult, but she looked like she could be better as a stayer. She won at this course in April over 2m 6f, but stayed on strongly that day when she wasn't fancied in the market (went off at 16/1). If she jumps nicely, she will put herself in with a solid chance, and I think the 9/2 is a tad too big.
She finished second in her only point-to-point, but stayed on in that race as well, making it look like stamina is her strength. The owner did well with Absolutely Doyen, who switched from Fergal O'Brien to Paul Nicholls. That horse started off as a 113-rated and is currently 135, so there's every chance that Jetty May will be starting life over fences on a low official rating.
The favourite is the one to beat, as he unseated Freddie Gingell when in the lead last time out. He has gone up a few pounds as a result, but you cannot write him off, even though he has shown he can make errors.
GambleAware