Howling another bargain for VRC

Howlingmadmurdock (5/2) looks the latest success story for Value Racing Club making an excellent start to his hurdles career when winning at Plumpton on Tuesday. A bumper winner for Anthony Honeyball, the five year old was acquired for £26,000 in February. Given plenty of time since joining Tom Lacey, the Soldier of Fortune gelding made his jumping bow in the two miles novice hurdle at the Sussex track. A half-brother to three times winner Easy As That (like soft ground), he outstayed the ex-Flat racer Prince Imperial in the homestraight to win going away. It was a fine performance given his breeding suggests he will be even better over further in due course. In recents weeks, Value Racing Club have once again proved they have few peers, if any, when it comes to syndicates with Only The Bold (£30,000) winning on his first run for the team at Bangor last month.

One Jump Ahead continues to unearth future stars at regular intervals and Inthepocket (Irish Pointers - 9/4) confirmed the favourable impression he had created at Wexford on his Rules debut in October by winning the rescheduled Grade 2 Navan Novice Hurdle at Naas on Tuesday. Henry De Bromhead's gelding had won by half a dozen lengths earlier this Autumn and he stayed on dourly to edge out Three Card Barg here. A neck scorer with a further four and a half lengths back to the third Absolute Notions, Inthepocket will presumably return to the same track for the Grade 1 Lawlor's of Naas Novice Hurdle (8th January). 

Later on the same card, Impaire Et Passe (French Revolution) was a ready winner on his Irish debut when taking the two miles three maiden hurdle by eighteen lengths. Owned by Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, the gelded son of Diamond Boy was a six lengths winner of a French bumper for Yannick Fouin (same source as stablemate Lossiemouth) before being acquire for €155,000. Given time to acclimatise by Willie Mullins, his jumping was good and readily pulled away in the homestraight. He deserves a crack at something better and possesses the speed to drop in trip, if necessary. 

Paul Nicholls introduced another nice long-term prospect in the bumper at Plumpton with Captain Teague (Irish Pointers). Previously handled by Colin Bowe, the Doyen gelding was strong in the market beforehand and never far off the pace. Despite looking slightly ill at ease on the track, he stayed on strongly in the homestraight to win with something to spare. Likely to be kept to bumpers, the four year old will come into his own over middle distance plus over obstacles.

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