It's taken a pasting over the Winter, and the horses finished well strung out throughout the day here, suggesting - to me at any rate - that it was soft throughout, and at no stage good to soft. Reconstruction of the far bend on the NH course meant that the runners turned out of the back straight on the Flat track, getting there by means of a right-left chicane after the last obstacle down the back (the Flat fraternity'll love that - big heavy jumpers tearing up their ground); the resultant heap of dug-up racecourse obstructed the view of the horses from the grandstand for a few yards.

Also as part of Haydock's track redevelopment, the thing that looks like a water jump opposite the stands will be used as such. by 2011 at the latest, by which time the works are expected to be complete.

In the opening 2m 0-135 handicap hurdle all except the burly Dictum looked fit. The winner, third and fourth raced in the first half dozen throughout and the decisive move came when Doctor David (medium, on toes), who'd been always prominent, was sent on four out and opened up a few lengths lead, having enough left to hold on close home; a rise in the weights is likely to prevent a follow-up in either the 2m handicap hurdle at Aintree or the Swinton over this course and distance in May.

Planet Of Sound, a tallish, leggy gelding who was the only chasing type in the field, is by Kayf Tara out of a Dubassoff mare and looked in need of further here, the one to chase up the winner from two out only after he'd raced less prominently than the others to be in the frame then been tapped for pace when Doctor David took the lead. Third Wizard Of Us and fourth Border Tale (smallish, stocky, on toes) were the first two in reverse order passing the stands with a circuit to go. Overstrand (bit to work on) was staying on at the finish and might be interesting in April and May but Along The Nile (deep girthed, looked very well in his coat) failed to see the race out, finishing weakly as though something was amiss.

Off with the normal hurdles and on with the eight fixed brush obstacles for the next two contests. They looked in good shape before the Red Square Vodka Novices' Handicap Final over 2m4f, and the chasing types on show were Lease Lend, Plein Pouvoir, Silver By Nature and Bobby Bullock. Borero has the height but not the shape, angular in appearance, while Spare Me (neat, stocky) was the smallest in the field. Leac An Scail, not much bigger, went best to post. It would have been won by Lease Lend had he not fallen two out.

Hopkins, a medium-height, plain gelding, was up with the pace throughout and just looked to be getting the worst of it when Lease Lend went, and looked less than keen to be in front when left in the clear. I can't see him doing as well as the best winner of this race so far, the 2006 victor Cloudy Lane. Blackpool Billy (medium), in the same ownership, was closing him down at the line and, progressing coming into the race, is the one to take out of it in the short term.

Bremen (leggy), who's been consistent without winning for Philip Hobbs over hurdles this season, isn't bred to stay further than 2m over jumps but probably did, although he couldn't go with the leaders from three out. Among the rest, Leac An Scail (workmanlike) was ridden and dropped out of things on the back straight before staying on when the race was over, while Pagano (workmanlike) came into this already proven when carrying a big weight (had 11-12 when winning at Sandown) and didn't do as well as he might have done.

Lease Lend (tallish, leggy) had every chance when making a bad mistake in a Class 2 novices' hurdle at Newcastle won by Viking Rebel on his last outing - pulled up immediately there - and was just as competitive on this occasion when making another error, asserting when making his exit two out. He's in good form, but his jumping has become a worry.

Those prominent from an early stage were the major players come the finish again in the 2m4f 0-110 handicap hurdle over the brush obstacles. Peters Star (angular), who was third in one division of the bumper at this meeting last year, took this on his handicap debut with any amount in hand, going best turning out of the back straight and not troubled to clear away from four out, and could be competitive when reassessed.

Solway Bee (deep girthed) chased the pace throughout till unable to go with the winner from four out, while the third Cadoudalas (medium-to-tallish, should crack it as a chaser) - who'd also been in the Newcastle novice hurdle that Lease Lend had run in and, dropping in class, was also in his first handicap - was clearly getting the worst of it on the home turn and could only keep on; he might need to come down a few lbs.

Only two others of interest in a moderate race. Sue Smith's Union Deux (about medium, well shaped); this one's done the rounds, but suggested that ability was still there last time out, looked the pick of the paddock in terms of wellbeing and, though ridden, would have placed but for falling four out, but Donovan, who'd been in good form over fences when last seen out, was a bit woolly on his first run after a break, drifted from 6/1 to 15/2 and held no other position but last until pulled up with four to go.

Time to remove the brush hurdles and bring on the portable fences, and for the 2m handicap chase most looked the part, but Polar Gunner (bit to work on) and Mr Prickle weren't spot on. Nirvana Du Bourg didn't walk well and, wimping out of it for the third time in his last three starts, is looking more and more like a failure.

There were a few who contested a strong pace here, and it proved an advantage to be held up this time. Edmo Yewkay looked better in demeanour than he did at Warwick when last viewed by me and, having made headway five out, held on grimly for pressure after leading at the last. The only one to make a fist of it after racing up with the pace was Ela Re (looked very well), who was kept away from the other runners at the start and led in, as is often the case; he found more after getting out of things three out (seems to be showing a tendency to do that on recent starts) and made Edmo Yewkay work for it.

Mr Prickle (well made, bit backward and woolly in his coat), who was also up with the pace, was headed at the last, worried out of things when challenged on both sides, but the one who looked the winner with four to jump was Miss Pross (medium to tallish, on her toes), who's always held up and came there going best, but found nothing when shaken up - normally she doesn't win away from Sedgefield.

In the 3m4f110y handicap chase, very much a rogues' gallery for those rated 0-105, all looked well. There was a contretemps at the first, which saw Change Agent (workmanlike, good-quartered, looked very well) get brought down and Young Smokey almost join him. Nothing was travelling well with a circuit to go.

After the Midlands National winning-jockey Tjade Collier (still a 5-lb claimer) ended up half on and half off Young Smokey (medium height) at the first, he then basically rode a finish for the remaining three miles and three furlongs. The horse's win - clear from three out - is entirely down to Collier's pushing, kicking and reminders and Young Smokey doesn't look like one who'll go in again any time soon.

Phareight Dei was the smallest of these and only did late work, Tomillielou finished weakly - not for the first time this season - and Nevada Red didn't want to know on the last lap, tailing himself off. Fifth Black Smoke was a bit backward and didn't look like justifying support from 8/1 to 13/2, but Sea Cadet (medium, good-quartered, tailed off when pulled up on the home bend) would prefer a sound surface.

In the 3m novices' chase for those rated 0-125 all looked fine; incidentally, under the conditions for this race, wins did not count for penalties until March 15th and the five-year-old Antonius Caesar received - wait for it - 1 lb from his elders. One whole lb. Pointless. To get back to discussing the race, with five of the runners chase winners and the sixth almost it was a tight little contest, and my gut feeling is that it should have gone to The Sawyer, who was steadied into the last.

Jungleland (medium, well made, deep girthed) is bred to stay 3m and stamina won the day; after it looked as though The Sawyer had taken a decisive advantage three out Jungleland was presented with a chance when the eventual third was shortened up at the final fence, and stayed on well for pressure. I fancy he'll continue on the up.

Antonius Caesar (neat, leggy, not a chasing type) had achieved nothing when winning from Temoin - a horse who beats himself - at Huntingdon three races back and, using that 1 lb he got from the other five, posted his best chase run and proved his stamina at 3m, briefly looking as though he might be the one between two out and the last and again when reeling them in close home, but just held at the death.

The Sawyer, the tallest in this field (none of these were the biggest), led and got in close to the seventh and ninth, was headed by Jungleland five out and led again three out, looking to be asserting at this stage, but William Kennedy steadied him into the last when a better jump was needed and The Sawyer, with some of his momentum taken away, lost two places in the last 100 yards. He could make amends next time, but acts best on heavy ground, so a dry spell could mean that's it from him this season.

I'll say it again about Stagecoach Diamond; he is a horse who needs a lot of use made of him and, as was the case when last viewed by me at Catterick, didn't get that from Tjade Collier - even in-form jockeys get it wrong sometimes - and the horse readily gave up in the straight.

One of the best races of its type away from the Festivals and Graded contests, the 2m National Hunt Flat Race that finishes this card off didn't divide this year (off time 5:50, and probably not enough were declared - four were balloted out).

I didn't get a lot of time to do the paddock, as they made sure the bell for jockeys to mount was rung in plenty of time, Haydock facing the same problem with this as Cheltenham had done with the Champion Bumper. I do consider these races for a bet, but with time not on my side I couldn't get any sort of a feel about it and held on to my dough. Of those I did see beforehand, chasing types are Barra Lad (a bit immature-looking, Lucinda Russell-trained gelding by Quws, made the running for the first mile and a quarter, was green on the bend going out on the circuit), Billybo (never sighted), Cloudy Times and Going Wrong.

Cloudy Times, a tallish, unfurnished five-year-old gelding by Cloudings, looked a bit backward but gave Sue Smith her first debutant-bumper winner since March 2004, sustaining a good run which took him to the lead two furlongs out - he looks a good prospect, and, sure to have strengthened by the Autumn, could well end up on the Roy Waterhouse Steeplechasing Ten To Follow for 2008-2009.

Dover's Hill (workmanlike) was a bit backward, having not been out since the Grade 2 bumper at Ascot in December, but confirmed that his Chepstow run can be taken seriously this time, chasing the pace and going for home five furlongs out, caught by Cloudy Times with a quarter of a mile to run, and Midnight Sail, in his fourth bumper, probably confirmed the form of his previous efforts in getting third, tapped for pace in the last half mile.

Fourth and fifth turned up late in the day, Delayed Approach and - the most interesting of the pair - Ferdy Murphy's Going Wrong, a tallish, unfurnished chasing type who was a bit backward and had two handlers. Held up, he did his best work at the end of the day, staying on nicely, and also - like Cloudy Times - might be a candidate for the ten.

Prince Des Marais (leggy), who looked well and was on his toes, was in behind the leaders with five furlongs to run but couldn't find more, and next home was an Alan Swinbank-trained mare, Reasontobecheerful (medium-to-tallish, leggy). We all know that the stable and bumpers are often the perfect marriage, but this one was vulnerable if taken as a candidate for the win here, as unlike a lot of Swinbank bumper-runners, she is a jumping-bred mare - her dam is by Orchestra - running in what was likely to be a strong heat. She ought to take a 2m4f mares' novice hurdle next season, but, never at the races here, won't be up to winning most bumpers.

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© Roy Waterhouse
2007

'The Meal Deal'