Jason Hart may have ridden over 400 winners in the last five years, but he has never been more prominent as he is now after a superb ride to win the Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes aboard Highfield Princess last week. Having also guided John Quinn’s star mare to a top tier success in France earlier in August, he is having a fine month, operating at a 25% strike rate in the last two weeks. He rides six at Catterick on Wednesday as he looks to extend the sequence and that sextet are previewed below alongside Kwiff who are offering new customers £20 in free bets when you bet £10.
Baaraka (1.00 Catterick)
It is easy to be drawn to the recent runners-up in this opening maiden, with both Delirious Dream and Premier Option having gone close last time out.
Hart, however, is aboard BAARAKA for Stuart Williams. This yard may just be hitting some form, as after a relatively quiet spell, they have struck with three of their last eight runners, which does bode well for some improvement from this two-year-old.
The son of Showcasing was only fifth of seven on debut at Windsor in a race won by Al Dasim, a horse with decent form in the book all round. It is not to this horse’s detriment that he was readily held by that rival and he had shown enough pace to keep tabs during the race.
This should be far less competitive and though he will need to step forward substantially, the 11-runner field could make him an each-way play at a decent price.
Whitcliffe (1.30 Catterick)
Taking away his effort on the all-weather this season, WHITCLIFFE has been running consistently this year.
Having been below par on his seasonal reappearance, he has form of 233 on turf in 2022. All three of those have been over 1m4f at Beverley, the first two of which saw him beaten just 1½ lengths and half-a-length off marks of 62 and 63.
However, he was not at that same standard last time out when only third of four in first-time blinkers, though those have been replaced by cheekpieces here. Furthermore, he is stepped up in trip here by the Johnstons as he falls back to a rating of 62.
He has already shown he can go close off a mark above this one and there is every chance the extra two furlongs will play to his strengths. His winless streak now sits at 11, but he has shown plenty enough to suggest he will win soon.
Jam Nation (2.00 Catterick)
At some point, JAM NATION is going to be competitive in handicaps. She was not up to the standard in maiden and novice company, but owners The Jam Partnership need not look far for inspiration.
Their daughter of Sioux Nation is trained by John Quinn, who, in conjunction with Jason Hart, took Highfield Princess from a mark in the 50s all the way up to Group 1 success. While that is only a pipe dream for Jam Nation, some level of improvement is distinctly possible.
She is bred to be useful and forward enough as a juvenile, but while the latter has yet to come to fruition, there is every chance she is eventually able to win races. She was slowly away on her nursery debut last time and though never able to get into contention, she did at least run on towards the end.
Apart from the bottom two in here, this handicap is rather condensed and mostly made out of horses with plenty to prove. That should make it easier than last time out and a place is not out of the question.
Oso Rapido (2.30 Catterick)
In the last 12 months, OSO RAPIDO’s form off marks of 82 or less over 6f reads 11531. Given his preferred conditions, he is almost always in the mix.
As soon as his mark pushes above that particular number, he tends to struggle significantly more, but he is back on a rating of 82 which appears to be his sweet spot when running over 6f, his optimum distance. Starting with this year, he was fifth off this mark at Thirsk, when only beaten a length in a hugely competitive class 3 handicap.
That is a class above this race he runs in today. At this level with these conditions, he was third at Doncaster, beaten under a length and then won over course and distance last month (off 81). That may have only been in a five-runner field, but he saw out the win in battling fashion.
He may need a little more in this line-up, but this track and trip suit. For a horse who is also capable of racing over 7f, a decent pace in a slightly bigger field may even bring more out of him.
Ginato (3.00 Catterick)
Followers of Roger Fell’s charge in this race can take heart that although his last run here was disappointing, his overall record at this venue is very solid.
His most recent of two career successes came at the track last September off 3lb higher than his current mark and even most recently, he has been within 2½ lengths of the winner on both starts in which the ground has been good or better.
Those came despite him being on a slight decline, but he is now down to a mark of 57, which is 5lb lower than when fourth at the track last month, He may have been last of six here last time, but the soft ground was clearly against him (he has never finished higher than fourth on such a surface).
Though his form on the all-weather has been better this year, such as when second off a mark of 67 at Newcastle, both his wins have been achieved on turf. As such, his mark could look very tempting here.
Lady Ziana (4.00 Catterick)
Only one horse in the final classified stakes at Catterick is rated higher than LADY ZIANA. This is extremely low grade fare, but David Brown’s filly has at least run well recently.
The four-year-old has never won, but has been runner-up on four occasions, often in handicaps off marks in the 40s. However, last time was potentially a career best from her, as she ran in a classified stakes at Yarmouth.
That was over 1m, where she finished third having been squeezed out late on. She has only run over equal to or further than that trip since September 2020, but a drop back to 7f might be what she needs given she did not quite see the race out last time.
Cheekpieces also go on for the first time to try and help her knuckle down at the business end and given that the majority of her rivals are undergoing more struggled than her at the moment, a final-race victory for Hart is not ruled out.
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