Burtons Well

There are a couple of reasons why Burtons Well’s effort in winning the veterans’ chase can be marked up. Firstly, he was racing for the first time in 664 days. Secondly, his trainer Venetia Williams hadn’t had a winner since May. She hadn’t had many runners in the interim, but the fact remains that the yard hadn’t quite started to rock yet this term. And thirdly, Burtons Well made a bad mistake at the cross-fence, the fourth last. it was a real momentum halter, it knocked him out of his rhythm and it knocked Charlie Deutsch’s left foot out of its iron.

He was quickly back on an even keel, however. He jumped the third last in fourth place, he moved into second at the second last and he stayed on well between the last two fences to take it up on the run to the last, before staying on well up the run-in to come away from Killaro Boy. The manner in which he stayed on was hugely encouraging, on this, his first attempt at a distance in excess of two miles and five furlongs.

He is 10, he is a veteran, but he has raced just 10 times in his life under all codes and just seven times over fences, so it is possible that he could progress again. And he has the potential to improve too as a stayer. The handicapper raised him by 5lb to a mark of 138, but that was more than fair, and it still leaves him 2lb below that mark off which he raced on his previous run. He may be under-rated now as a veteran, and he has obviously had his issues but, if he can remain sound, there could be more big days in him.

Aintree, 27^th October 2019