Hot To Trot: Gordon not a flash in the pan

Flat Trainer – Richard Hughes

Richard Hughes’ partnership with Shane Kelly has paid dividends of late, with the rider guiding home a series of winners for the yard, including Kath’s Legacy, who is probably worth extra credit given the race she won wasn't much of a stamina test; she remains capable of better as her stamina is drawn out (will stay 1m).

As the graph below shows, a higher percentage of the yard’s horses are running to form than at this stage of previous seasons.

Interesting entries over the coming days include Um Shama and Noteworthy at Windsor’s first evening meeting of the season on Monday. Um Shama is a half-sister to several winners, including useful 1¼m-11.4f winner Wefait and 1½m-1¾m winner Sebastian Beach, so might be expected to fare better when stepped up in trip, but any support would look significant. Noteworthy has had three starts on the all-weather to qualify for handicaps and she is bred to be better than this mark of 64 would suggest, being a sister to Al Ghuwariyah and half-sister to Indian Pursuit.

Jumps Trainer – Chris Gordon

Recent wins for Mellow Ben, Rothman, Baddesley Knight and Ramore Will, plus a career-best victory for Highway One O One have all highlighted the continued good form of Chris Gordon.

Fizzlestix travelled powerfully when winning at Fontwell last month, and ran creditably in a stronger race at Uttoxer next time. He should again run well at Stratford on Sunday, while Ballycoe has an entry at Wincanton on the same afternoon (also entered at Newton Abbot on Tuesday). He fell at the third at Stratford last time, but had previously run well at Kempton, and it’s worth noting that he hit form with a vengeance at this time last season.

Under The Radar – David Elsworth

Though he’s only had a couple of winners over the past month, David Elsworth has also had five placed runners, with more than two-thirds of his horses running to form.

As the graph below shows, Elsworth does very well with older horses.

Older horses amongst the yard’s entries over the coming days include Pontefract entry Dance Teacher. She won at Kempton in December on her first start for the yard after leaving Ralph Beckett, and shaped as if amiss when weakening quickly there last time; she’s been given plenty of time to get over that. Dash of Spice (handicap entries at Yarmouth and Epsom) asserted quickly when winning at Lingfield in December, and looks the type to make up into a useful four-year-old, while the fellow Jeff Smith-owned Cosmopolitan Queen is still seeking her first win but will drop in grade if running at Yarmouth or Epsom.