October 20 / 15.43 Fakenham

15.43

Good

Sky Bet Build A Bet Novices’ Handicap Chase

  • Prize money: £4488.85
  • 2m 0f 59y
  • Class 5
  • 6 runners
RTV
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Sky Bet Build A Bet Novices’ Handicap Chase

Runners: 6 runners

Type: Chase Turf

Surface: Turf

Weather: Rain

Form: 3-626P

Last run: 10 days

W: 12st 0lb

6 yo Gelding

OR: 98

Form & Verdict
Chance on the form of May's Southwell hurdles second (2m5f, good), but two poor efforts since returning from wind surgery (raced too freely again latest); loses services of Brian Hughes for this chasing debut.
Place /
No / Draw
Date / Going /
Distance / Class
Time + Course Horse + Weight
Jockey / Trainer
Verdict Starting price

4

14th May 2024

Good

2m 4f 88y

Class 5

14:30 Southwell

Champagne Town

11st 6lb

J: John Kington

T: Kevin Frost

Irish point winner in November 2021 (3m, good/yielding); ex-Gavin Cromwell; best run for this yard when runner-up in a 2m4f handicap hurdle here last May (good); poor form since; plenty to prove on first run chasing.

20/1

4

14th May 2024

Good

2m 4f 88y

Class 5

14:30 Southwell

Champagne Town

11st 6lb

J: John Kington

T: Kevin Frost

Irish point winner in November 2021 (3m, good/yielding); ex-Gavin Cromwell; best run for this yard when runner-up in a 2m4f handicap hurdle here last May (good); poor form since; plenty to prove on first run chasing.

20/1

10th

5

25th Apr 2024

Good

2m 3f 137y

Class 5

17:45 Huntingdon

Champagne Town

11st 10lb

J: Tom Bellamy

T: Kevin Frost

in touch with leaders, headway and prominent after 5th

20/1

OUR TIP

Form: /25-72

Last run: 45 days

W: 11st 10lb

5 yo Gelding

OR: 94

Form & Verdict
Nearly got up in a Bangor handicap hurdle last month (2m1f, good), though the second in the 2m novice on this card last year remains his strongest form; not bred for fences and soft ground would ask a new question, but trainer is operating at 29% here over the past five seasons.
Place /
No / Draw
Date / Going /
Distance / Class
Time + Course Horse + Weight
Jockey / Trainer
Verdict Starting price

1st

2

3rd Jun 2026

Good To Firm

2m 4f 0y

Class 4

21:00 Warwick

Theonlywayiswessex

11st 11lb

J: Tom Bellamy

T: Alan King

On a fairly tough mark but otherwise has plenty in his favour and ran a solid second over C&D last time; every chance.

6/4

2nd

5

4th May 2026

Good

2m 4f 0y

Class 4

16:25 Warwick

Theonlywayiswessex

11st 11lb

J: Tom Bellamy

T: Alan King

Below par when last seen in August but ran pretty well in his previous two races, including here; has plenty in his favour, other than a tough enough mark.

8/1

4th

4

21st Aug 2025

Good

2m 4f 216y

Class 4

17:35 Newton Abbot

Theonlywayiswessex

11st 8lb

J: Tom Cannon

T: Alan King

Two solid placed efforts since returning from a break, latest when a 7.25l third at Stratford (2m3f, good to firm; Magic Seven second) last month; should give another good account though he remains vulnerable off this sort of mark.

15/2

Form: 4-2424

Last run: 16 days

W: 11st 10lb

6 yo Gelding

OR: 94

Form & Verdict
Won't want a lot of rain if this month's below-par Bangor fourth on soft is any guide; defeats off mid-90s marks are starting to add up, but perhaps the first-time blinkers can tease reserves out for longer.
Place /
No / Draw
Date / Going /
Distance / Class
Time + Course Horse + Weight
Jockey / Trainer
Verdict Starting price

6th

7

1st Apr 2024

Good To Soft

2m 4f 145y

Class 5

13:35 Huntingdon

Heros De Moutiers

10st 13lb

J: Abbie McCain

T: Donald McCain

in touch with leaders

20/1

6th

7

1st Apr 2024

Good To Soft

2m 4f 145y

Class 5

13:35 Huntingdon

Heros De Moutiers

10st 13lb

J: Abbie McCain

T: Donald McCain

in touch with leaders

20/1

Form: 232425 D

Last run: 35 days

W: 11st 6lb

7 yo Gelding

OR: 90

Form & Verdict
Just denied an elusive first chase win at Wexford in July (2m, good to yielding); fairly safe conveyance, having completed 17 of 19 chase starts, but likely vulnerable to anything progressive; stable debut.
Place /
No / Draw
Date / Going /
Distance / Class
Time + Course Horse + Weight
Jockey / Trainer
Verdict Starting price

4th

6

26th Mar 2025

Good

2m 0f 8y

Class 5

15:32 Hereford

Berliet Express

10st 2lb

J: Tabitha Worsley

T: Jake Thomas Coulson

Dual 2m hurdle winner on yielding ground in Ireland; placed in 6-28 chase starts but recent form suggests that a 7lb drop and the application of cheekpieces won't see him break his duck in this discipline.

33/1

6th

8

20th Feb 2025

Good To Soft

2m 3f 189y

Class 5

14:15 Huntingdon

Berliet Express

10st 2lb

J: Sean Grantham

T: Jake Thomas Coulson

Jumped poorly when beaten 16l here two weeks ago, taking chase record to 0-27; 5lb out of the weights.

33/1

4th

10

6th Feb 2025

Good To Soft

2m 3f 189y

Class 5

13:10 Huntingdon

Berliet Express

10st 3lb

J: Sean Grantham

T: Jake Thomas Coulson

in rear

16/1

Form: 352532 BF

Last run: 14 days

W: 11st 0lb

6 yo Gelding

OR: 84

Form & Verdict
Far from bred for fences, but last time's head second in a Fontwell handicap chase (2m2f, good) is the closest he's come to victory in any mode of racing; 3lb rise not ideal and can't afford to repeat that day's jumps to the right, but case still decent barring a lot of rain.
Place /
No / Draw
Date / Going /
Distance / Class
Time + Course Horse + Weight
Jockey / Trainer
Verdict Starting price

3

31st May 2026

Good

2m 4f 1y

Class 5

17:07 Fakenham

Gone In Sixty

10st 11lb

J: Isabelle Ryder

T: Alex Hales

Safely held when fourth over fences at Fontwell (2m2f, good) this month but that was his first run since November (also his first after a wind op); reverts to hurdling on mark just 2lb higher then when winning this race by 14l on good ground a year ago; must be considered.

15/8

4th

5

14th May 2026

Good

2m 1f 165y

Class 5

19:40 Fontwell

Gone In Sixty

10st 9lb

J: Bryan Carver

T: Alex Hales

Sole success came when wide-margin winner over hurdles at Fakenham just under one year ago but he's finished runner-up on 12 occasions, including five times in succession over fences between September and November; had wind surgery after heavy defeat over hurdles at Windsor over five months ago; market might guide on this return.

9/1

2nd

4

20th Oct 2025

Good

2m 3f 166y

Class 5

14:40 Plumpton

Gone In Sixty

10st 11lb

J: Alice Stevens

T: Alex Hales

Won over hurdles at Fakenham (2m4f, good) in June and was runner-up in two chases last month, latterly behind King Of The Story at Warwick (2m4f, good); also ran well back over hurdles at Fakenham on Friday, but the forecast rain is a worry.

11/4

Form: 2134-P D

Last run: 158 days

W: 10st 4lb

9 yo Gelding

OR: 74

Form & Verdict
Southwell hurdle winner (2m, good) in May 2022 but yet to record an RPR higher than 71 over fences; jumping didn't really hold up on May's return from 11 months out, and absent again since.
Place /
No / Draw
Date / Going /
Distance / Class
Time + Course Horse + Weight
Jockey / Trainer
Verdict Starting price

8

4th Jun 2023

Good

2m 0f 59y

Class 5

15:30 Fakenham

Overtougeorge

10st 4lb

J: Charlie Todd

T: Charles & Adam Pogson

Well treated on last year's best hurdle form and he was returning from an absence when pulled up in a chase at Southwell three weeks ago; however, he's never really shone over fences and others are preferred.

16/1

9

15th May 2023

Soft

2m 4f 88y

Class 5

17:45 Southwell

Overtougeorge

10st 5lb

J: Charlie Todd

T: Charles & Adam Pogson

Opened account in small-field handicap hurdle here (2m, good) a year ago and his next two hurdle runs were perfectly respectable but his record over fences during the 2021-22 season was very uninspiring, and he has fitness to prove after 322 days off.

14/1

Verdict

This can be a tricky place to jump round so Berliet Express’s 17 chasing completions count for plenty, but he’s vulnerable to anything with greater upside. A significant deterioration in conditions would temper enthusiasm in Gone In Sixty and Heros De Moutiers, but whilst chasing debutant THEONLYWAYISWESSEX’s own effectiveness on soft is assumed rather than proven, this sole runner on the card for Alan King looks well treated on his novice hurdles form here. [Jeremy Grayson]

Selections

POSTDATA:

Gone In Sixty

SPOTLIGHT:

Theonlywayiswessex

RP RATINGS:

Heros De Moutiers

The Times:

Gone In Sixty

The Guardian:

Gone In Sixty

Daily Mail:

Gone In Sixty

D Express:

Gone In Sixty

The Star:

Gone In Sixty

Telegraph:

Theonlywayiswessex

Daily Mirror:

Theonlywayiswessex

Daily Record:

Theonlywayiswessex