1:10 Huntingdon: 2m7½f Class 4 handicap chase
PricedUp Boosts And BOG Veterans' Handicap Steeple Chase
A small veterans' handicap where all five arrive with a question: three come off long breaks or poor last runs, and the two fit ones were well beaten last time. The form of a Class 2/Class 3 class-dropper is set against a course-and-race winner on a low mark, and there is little between the top four.
The figure and the read. Escaria Ten tops our figures, but Charles Ritz's Kempton 3rd on 14 Mar is in a race that has produced three winners, and it has won 2 of 4 off breaks while Escaria Ten has won 0 of 7. The figure puts Charles Ritz last mainly because the beaten-out Chepstow run on 24 Apr carries most of its weight, and that run came at 3m2f after a mistake 5 out.
The runners
In order of our rating, best first. The rating is in pounds, so the gap says how far behind the top each one is: a 2lb race is open, a 10lb race is not. Press Form on any horse for its runs, the case for and against, and what suits it. Prices as at 10:00.
12Charles Ritz p/1435- · Jonathan Burke · Tom George120122top2/1Kempton 3rd off OR 122 on 14 Mar in a race that produced three winners reads best at Class 4; it has won 2 of 4 after breaks.class drop
It was 3rd beaten 5¼L at Kempton on 14 Mar off OR 122. Fever Dream, 2¼L ahead, has since won a Class 2 off OR 105 and a Class 3 off OR 112, and the winner Doctor Ken was 4th in a Grade 3 at Listowel off OR 137. It won a Class 4 at Southwell on 14 Dec 2025 off OR 118 after 404 days off and runs off OR 120 today. Its last run, 5th beaten 24½L at Chepstow on 24 Apr at 3m2f, followed a mistake 5 out, and that race has worked out to nothing. It has 2 places from 3 runs at this trip, was 2nd of 4 at Huntingdon on 10 Apr 2023, and has won 2 of 4 off breaks of 60+ days.
Down a class to Class 4 off OR 120 on good ground, back after 200 days with a good record fresh, wearing cheekpieces.
Its only finished run since Kempton was a 24½L defeat, and it has not won in 3 runs at this trip.
5 earlier runs
21Escaria Ten vPP343- · Freddie Keighley(5) · Martin Keighley122121-14/13rd in a strong Cheltenham Class 2 off OR 125 on 24 Jan is the best form here; it hangs on how it goes fresh, with 0 wins from 7 after breaks.
Its best recent run was 3rd of 16 beaten 8¾L in a Class 2 at Cheltenham on 24 Jan off OR 125, in a race that produced 3 winners and 9 placed horses afterwards. The winner, Favori De Champdou, went on to be 2nd in a Class 2 off OR 157. Last time, at Punchestown on 2 May, it led 3 out and finished 3rd of 15 beaten 13¾L, with Vaureal 5¼L behind; Vaureal won off OR 114 next time. It runs off OR 122 today. It has won none of its 4 races at this trip in 3 years and has never run at Huntingdon. It comes back after 192 days and has won 0 of 7 off breaks of 60+ days, pulling up at Cheltenham after 192 and 204 days off.
Drops to Class 4 off OR 122 with a 5lb claim, on good ground at a 1f shorter trip than last time, first time at the course, wearing a visor, after 192 days off.
It has won 0 of 7 off breaks of 60+ days, and it was outpaced from 4 out over longer trips at Cheltenham and Exeter.
Our figure (in testing): 1st of 5. The read has him 2nd.
5 earlier runs
35Fern Hill5423-7 · Ciaran Gethings · Ben Case108119-39/2Won this race off OR 107 on 11 Nov 2025 and runs off OR 108, but it folded tamely at Uttoxeter last time; it needs to bounce back.c & d
It won this race at Huntingdon on 11 Nov 2025 off OR 107 and runs off OR 108 today. It was 2nd beaten 1L at Chepstow on 15 Mar at today's trip off OR 105, with Handin Manypockets 17L behind; Handin Manypockets won off OR 109 next time. It was 3rd beaten 6L at Southwell on 1 Apr off OR 110. Last time, at Uttoxeter on 16 Oct, it folded tamely to finish 7th beaten 32¾L. It has won 2 of 13 and placed in 6 at this trip, and its 4th of 5 here on 19 Feb came on heavy.
It folded tamely last time and is 11, so it may be on the downgrade.
Our figure (in testing): 4th of 5. The read has him 3rd.
5 earlier runs
43Sherborne t3114-5 · Lorcan Williams · Joe Tizzard119118-43/1Won C4s off OR 108 and OR 115 in March, but it jumped poorly at Hereford and was beaten 32½L last time; it needs a clean round.
It won a Class 4 at Exeter on 17 Mar off OR 108; Saint Cyr De Pail, 15¼L behind, won off OR 100 next time. It then won a Class 4 at Ascot on 29 Mar off OR 115, eased down, with Diplomatic Ash 24L behind; Diplomatic Ash has since won a Class 4 chase off OR 110. Since then it was 4th of 5 at Hereford on 16 Apr after jumping poorly and being hampered, and 5th beaten 32½L in a Class 2 on soft at Ffos Las on 14 Oct. It runs off OR 119 today. It has won 1 of 7 at this trip, and both March wins came at shorter trips.
Down two classes to Class 4 off OR 119 on good ground at a slightly shorter trip than last time, fit from 14 Oct, in a tongue-tie.
Its jumping let it down at Hereford and Ffos Las, and it runs off a higher mark than either win.
5 earlier runs
54Onemorefortheroad p4P/2-6 · Jack Quinlan · Neil King118112-109/2Beaten 30¼L at Stratford on 29 Oct and unplaced in 2 runs at this trip; its two course wins came over 2m of hurdles.winning mark
Its only run since 19 Sep 2025 was 6th of 10 beaten 30¼L in a Class 3 at Stratford on 29 Oct at 2m3½f, where it jumped awkwardly 4 out and tired. Before that it was 2nd beaten 2½L in a Class 3 hurdle at Newton Abbot on 19 Sep 2025 off OR 125, but that race has worked out only modestly. Its last chase runs were a PU at Market Rasen on 17 Jan 2025 and 4th beaten 25¼L at Doncaster on 29 Dec 2024 off OR 128. It has run twice at this trip over fences without placing. It has won twice at Huntingdon, both over 2m of hurdles.
Steps up 4f to 2m7½f and drops to Class 4 off OR 118, on good ground, wearing cheekpieces, with its course wins coming over hurdles.
It has no chase form near this level since 2024 and has not placed in 2 runs at this trip.
5 earlier runs
How to read this table
Rating is the read's own figure for each horse today, in pounds on one scale for the race. Our figure, a separate mechanical rating, is in testing and shows inside each horse's form until it has a record worth showing.
Days is days since the horse last ran. OR is its official rating. A small letter after the name is headgear (b blinkers, v visor, p cheekpieces, t tongue tie, h hood).
Key form lines
The past races that say most about this one, and what they mean today.
Charles Ritz was 3rd beaten 5¼L off OR 122 in a race that has produced 3 winners from 6 runners since, the best line any runner brings to this grade.
Escaria Ten's 3rd in a strong Class 2 off OR 125 is the best form in the race on paper, though it came at 3m5½f on soft.
Fern Hill won this race off OR 107 and runs off OR 108 today.
Fern Hill was beaten 1L at today's trip off OR 105, with Handin Manypockets 17L behind; Handin Manypockets won off OR 109 next time.
Where today's runners have met
Races two or more of today's runners have run in, the last 18 months first. "Terms" shows how the weights have moved since, against the best-placed of them that day.