The Romford Pele

It is understandable that all the talk after the Robert Mottram Memorial Novices' Chase at Chepstow on Saturday centred around the winner Balder Succes, he was fast and accurate at his fences, and he clocked a really fast time. However, as a result of the attention that has been heaped on Alan King's horse, there is a chance that the quality of the performance that The Romford Pele put up in finishing second has gone a little under the radar.

Held up at the back of the five-runner field in the early stages, Rebecca Curtis' horse's jumping was good for a chasing debutant, especially down the back straight. He was outpaced a little when Balder Succes and Double Ross quickened from the front at the third last fence, but he stuck to his task really well, keeping on really well for AP McCoy all the way to the line, going down by just three parts of a length in the end, with the front pair pulling nine lengths clear of Double Ross.

A chasing debutant, like the winner, this was just The Romford Pele's 12th run ever so, although he is a year older than Balder Succes, he is actually less experienced. Seventh behind Champagne Fever in the 2012 Cheltenham Festival bumper, the Accordion gelding was a nice progressive novice hurdler last season, winning twice in the early part of the season and then running a cracker to finish fourth behind subsequent Coral Cup winner Medinas in a really good handicap hurdle at Ffos Las, the Welsh Champion Hurdle, from 6lb out of the handicap.

He stayed two and a half miles well over hurdles, and he left the impression here that he would improve for a step up from that trip now over fences. He is still only six and he jumps fences well, so he could be an interesting novice chaser for the season ahead. Interestingly, the last two renewals of this Chepstow race have been won by Fingal Bay and Cue Card.

13th October 2013

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