David Pipe bids to continue his perfect record at Newton Abbot this season
Devonshire based trainer David Pipe has his string in fine form at the moment, sending out six winners in the last fourteen days and operating at a tremendous 40% strike rate. This current season, the yard is a perfect 2 from 2 at Newton Abbot and will look to continue their 100% record at the track with three live chances on Wednesday.
Ben Lilly – 14:30 (Brian And Gill’s Golden Wedding Anniversary Maiden Hurdle)
Five-year-old BEN LILLY will be looking to get the yard off to the perfect start in Newton Abbot’s third race on Wednesday afternoon. A seven-time winner when trained on the flat, Ben Lilly is yet to shine over timber for David Pipe but connections will be hoping it’s just a matter of time before the useful flat performer transfers his form to this discipline.
Well beaten on his hurdling debut at Taunton in January, the five-year-old then showed plenty of encouraging signs when finishing fourth on his following start at Newbury in novice company over two miles.
Although well below that level in his recent two outings at Ffos Las and Fontwell, Ben Lilly still has the potential to make up into a fairly useful hurdler once connections find the key to him, and if first-time blinkers have the desired effect on Wednesday afternoon, it wouldn’t be a shock to see the five-year-old go close given his intrinsic ability.
Ben Lilly (left) will be looking to register a first hurdling success on Wednesday.
Miss M – 15:00 (Racing Partnership Novices’ Handicap Chase)
The David Pipe Racing Club will be hopeful of cheering on a second winner on the card as MISS M makes her belated chasing debut for connections.
Despite being winless over hurdles since 2020, the eight-year-old mare has often run well in defeat and has posted some creditable efforts recently, including when finishing third on her penultimate start at Southwell over three miles behind subsequent winners The Questioner and Hillview.
Sent off the well-supported favourite at Exeter on her latest start over timber, she could never land a telling blow from the rear of the field in a race that ultimately suited those who had raced prominently throughout.
Whilst it’s her first start over the larger obstacles on Wednesday afternoon, connections will have done plenty of schooling at home with her and receiving weight all round, the eight-year-old mare could cause a bit of an upset if benefitting from the switch to fences.
Trainer David Pipe will be confident of getting amongst the winners at Newton Abbot on Wednesday afternoon.
Nordic Combined – 15:30 (Download The At The Races App Handicap Hurdle)
Although his form has completely tailed off in his recent outings, NORDIC COMBINED remains seriously well-handicapped for David Pipe off a mark of 113 and now finds himself 8lb lower than his last winning mark.
Despite enjoying a fairly productive campaign last season, Nordic Combined has subsequently struggled in his racecourse outings, suffering wide-margin defeats in handicap company in his last two starts at Taunton and Warwick by a combined total of eighty lengths. However, a line can be drawn through his latest start following an 89 day break back in April, and it’s certainly worth noting that the eight-year-old has previously improved markedly following a comeback run.
Nordic Combined has plenty of questions to answer based on his current form figures, but it wouldn’t be the biggest shock if David Pipe’s charge bounced back to something like his best on Wednesday from a career-low mark, especially given the fact that his last career victory came at a similar time of year last season.
Nordic Combined (second right) needs to bounce back following a series of poor performances.