There may be weather warnings across the UK at present, yet that hasn’t deterred the connections of a former Grade 1 winning chaser from making the 315-mile journey north from Cheltenham to Kelso on Friday to take part in their feature Racing’s Best Ratings With Timeform Handicap Chase. So, who is this long-distance traveller? Check out here alongside a fantastic Bet £10 – Get £45 Sign-up offer courtesy of 888sport!
RIDERS ONTHE STORM – (3:05pm Kelso, Racing’s Best Ratings With Timeform Handicap Chase) 9/1
Yes, it’s RIDERS ONTHE STORM that heads to Kelso on Friday to participate in their extended 2m5f feature handicap chase, and yes, he is a former Grade 1 winning chaser.
It is now just over two years since Riders Onthe Storm landed the Grade 1 Ascot Chase – coincidently the feature race this weekend.
That renewal was possibly most memorable for the final fence falls of both Traffic Fluide and Cyrname – the latter just 4/11F for victory.
Whilst considered something of a fortuitous winner by connections post-race, win Riders Onthe Storm did, yet the race appeared to take plenty out of him and in subsequent runs for the Nigel Twiston-Davies yard he failed to show the same spark.
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That prompted connections to switch him to nearby trainer Richard Hobson for the 2021/22 season, and the change of scenery brought about immediate improvement, with Riders Onthe
Storm finishing a 20/1 runner-up at Aintree on stable debut back in December.
He failed to replicate that form in the competitive Paddy Power New Year’s Day Handicap Chase at Cheltenham subsequently, yet that track had never really seemed to suit Riders Onthe Storm previously, so the performance was perhaps not as much of a shock as the market suggested.
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Kelso’s Friday assignment represents a drop-in class for Riders Onthe Storm, and connections now enlist the aid of a first-time tongue tie, which could bring about some improvement.
Whilst a mark of 145 is no gimmie, it is 2lb lower than when runner-up at Aintree and just 5lb above Riders Onthe Storm’s last winning mark, so presumably well within reach should the 9yo get back to anywhere near his best.
The sole runner on the card for jockey Nick Scholfield, it also represents a rare raid for Gloucestershire-based Richard Hobson, who has enjoyed success north of the border at tracks such as Perth in recent seasons, and who has seen 10 of his 12 Kelso runners to date finish in the first four.
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