This is a low-grade 3m handicap chase, but don’t let the class fool you — small-field staying chases at Huntingdon can be brutal. With only five declared, there’s nowhere to hide: if you give away ground at your fences, you don’t get it back because they’ll steady it mid-race and turn it into a test from three out to the line.
The ground is good to soft, which matters because two of these are proper mud-leaners, and one wants decent ground to show his best.
The likely shape of the race
Expect a tactical first circuit. Somebody will try to control it without turning it into a slog, because Huntingdon can become a sprint off a steady tempo. In that scenario, the winner is usually the horse who:
jumps cleanly,
holds a handy position without pulling,
and has enough petrol left to go again after the last.
Felton Bellevue – the solid, race-fit one
Felton Bellevue is the obvious starting point. He’s 11 now, but he’s still doing his job and comes here in form after winning a similar race at Plumpton 20 days ago. What I like most is that he’s a proper handicap chase type: lots of miles in this grade, knows how to go through a race, and tends to keep finding when others cry enough.
The only niggle is surface. His better results have often come with more cut, and his “Good” record isn’t pretty. But good to soft is usually fine for a grinder if the pace is honest and the jumping holds. In a five-runner race, fitness and fluency can be worth more than a theoretical ground preference.
Cloudy Wednesday – the classy one, but the absence is the story
On pure back form, Cloudy Wednesday is a big player. He’s been running to a solid level in Class 5 chases for ages, he’s got a fair record at Huntingdon, and he’s one of the few in here who looks genuinely comfortable at around 3m on decent ground.
But you can’t dodge the headline: 272 days since his last run. In a big field you can sometimes forgive rust because they go quick and the race comes to you. In a five-runner tactical chase, a horse short of peak fitness can get caught flat-footed when it matters — and if he’s forced to make his move earlier than ideal, it can look like he’s “not finishing”, when really he’s just blowing out after the last.
If he’s tuned up, he’s the one who can make this interesting. If he isn’t, he’s vulnerable at a short price.
Diamand De Vindecy – talent, but still learning over fences
Diamand De Vindecy is the sort who could easily run well without being the most likely winner. The trouble is the obvious one: he’s still novicey as a chaser. In a small field, jumping errors are magnified — there’s less traffic to cause carnage, but also fewer opportunities to get back on terms once you’ve handed away two lengths at a fence.
If he jumps clean, he can hit the frame. If he doesn’t, he’ll make life hard for himself.
Imperial Pride – the featherweight with trust issues
Imperial Pride gets in very light and that always catches the eye in a 3m chase. But the recent profile is messy: pulled up more than once, and the notes read like a horse who isn’t always travelling or jumping with confidence. In a five-runner race you can land a place if others underperform, but for win purposes you’re basically betting on everything going right — and it hasn’t been.
The Blueberry One – top weight and needs a bit of faith
The Blueberry One carries 12-0 and comes in with a profile that doesn’t scream “3m handicap chase winner”. He’s not totally without ability, but he’s been operating in better races and hasn’t looked like a natural for this kind of grinding finish. Giving weight away in a staying chase is never a gift.
Verdict
This looks like a race where the sensible angle is fitness + jumping + proven stamina rather than dreaming up a plot horse.
Selection: FELTON BELLEVUE
He’s the one most likely to run his race, and in this kind of contest that’s half the battle. He should be close enough turning in, and if he repeats recent fluency at the fences, he’s the one I expect to outlast them.
Main danger: CLOUDY WEDNESDAY
If he’s fully wound up after the long break, he’s the most credible threat — but at the prices, you’re being asked to pay as if the absence doesn’t matter. In this setup, it does.