A Class 5 handicap hurdle over 1m 7f 207y on good to soft ground was run in a winning time of 3m 57.71s, Sporting Life reported. The race, restricted to four-year-olds and above, carried a weighed-in off time of 15:55 and featured four runners on turf.
Four Runners Contested the 1m 7f 207y Contest
Two nine-year-olds headed the weights at 11-4. The mare trained by C E Longsdon and ridden by Lily Pinchin held an official rating of 102 and had finished six and a quarter lengths third of five over course and distance on her latest start. Described as a quirky mare who can flatter to deceive, she secured a second career Flat victory at Brighton last month and is back down in grade. The nine-year-old trained by A M Hales and ridden by Kielan Woods also carried 11-4 with an OR of 102, having unseated three out at Leicester in December.
The four-year-old trained by A J Honeyball and ridden by Ben Godfrey carried 11-2 with an OR of 100, returning to Class 5 company after a narrow third over course and distance here last time. A solid operator at this level, he repeated his victory in the race 12 months prior and has yet to defy a mark in the 100s. Better than the bare result when seventh in a listed Cheltenham bumper in January, he was bumped into one on hurdling debut at Hexham and turned over in a messy race at Worcester in May, and will wear a tongue strap for the first time. Crest of Arms was described as the least exposed of the field and was fancied to make a winning handicap debut for an in-form yard.
Handicap Weights Influence Race Outcomes
The top weights of 11-4 contrasted with the 11-2 assigned to the sole four-year-old, who held the lowest official rating of the runners at 100.
The 3m 57.71s winning time concluded a handicap in which the two nine-year-olds carried 11-4 against a sole four-year-old on 11-2.
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