Ffos Las AndyTheLodge Handicap Hurdle – DS
Ffos Las AndyTheLodge Handicap Hurdle
Sunday will be a momentous day for one of our great friends and one of horse racing’s biggest characters, @AndyTheLodge. He has visited every racetrack in Great Britain, apart from one. Ffos Las in Wales is the final track on his to do list and finally, after this weekend, Andy will be able to say he has been racing at every single track in the UK. What an achievement, congratulations from us all Andy.
Our colleagues at TXODDS came up with the idea to name a race in honour of Andy reaching this amazing milestone and fittingly, it is probably the best race on the card. Our resident tipster Dave Stevos landed three nice places on Saturday and he is going to try and find the winner, his runner by runner preview is below.
2.25 – AndyTheLodge Visited Every UK Track Handicap Hurdle (Cl 4)
1 Ballymagroarty Boy – Ben Bromley (5)
Form: 4034-7
Trainer: Nigel Hawke
Current Odds: 22/1
The elder statesman in the field at eleven years young. This son of Milan has won two of his 29 starts over hurdles but he has been in the money on another thirteen occasions so more often than not, he runs his race.
He is in off a mark of 119 today, the same mark off which he beat Balkardy by almost 5 lengths into second over C&D in December of last year. That came on heavy ground and his only other win came on soft, but he has run plenty of solid races on good to soft ground, and that’s what he’ll get here today.
Unlike quite a few of his rivals here, Ballymagroarty Boy comes into this with a run under his belt. He finished a well beaten seventh of 13 in a class 3 handicap at Exeter nineteen days ago, but the old boy was entitled to need that reappearance. He should strip fitter now, he drops back in class, his yard won this last year and he is a C&D winner. Ben Bromley takes off a handy 5lb and he could well outrun his odds of 22/1.
2 Woodie Flash – Sean Bowen
Form: 5131F-
Trainer: Olly Murphy
Current Odds: 6/1
This promising 6yo son of Leading Light won twice over hurdles in 2023, a 23f novice at Warwick on good ground in July and a class 5 handicap by twenty lengths off 102 at the same track on soft in November. He only ran twice in 2024, winning a 23f Market Rasen handicap on heavy off 112 before falling at the second last when still in with every chance in a 22.5f handicap on soft off 115 at Kelso.
He was nudged up another 2lb for that run and he makes his return from a 209 day absence with Sean Bowen booked for the ride. Olly Murphy has been amongst the winners recently and the cheekpieces, which he wore for two of his three wins, are back on. Woodie Flash has won when fresh before and he has to be considered a leading contender, once that fall at Kelso hasn’t dented his confidence.
3 Fair Frontieres – Tom Bellamy
Form: PFP4-3
Trainer: Kim Bailey
Current Odds: 14/1
This lightly raced 9yo has won three of his ten starts over timber. Those wins came in a Worcester maiden and a pair of novice hurdles at Warwick and Exeter back in 2022, earning him a mark of 137.
Since that win at Exeter in March 2022, Fair Frontieres has generally struggled. He had three non-completions in a row between November 2023 and February 2024 and then he finished off last season with a 19l fourth at Huntingdon and a 10.5l third at Kempton.
The handicapper has now dropped him to a mark of 117 and he underwent wind surgery during his 188 day break. It can often take horses a run or two to realise they can breathe properly after a wind-op and given his overall profile, Fair Frontieres is probably best watched here today.
4 Howaya Now – Harry Bannister
Form: 2/F421-
Trainer: Richard J Bandey
Current Odds: 15/2
This 6yo is one of five last time out winners in this field. That win came in a 21.5f heavy ground maiden hurdle at Exeter when he was last seen 217 days ago. The 2l runner up in that race won a maiden on his next start, so there is a little bit of substance to the form.
He had previously gone close in a 25.5f soft ground maiden hurdle at Hereford so there’s no issues with today’s trip and he ran well here over shorter in a maiden hurdle after a break back in November 2022. He was beaten off 113 in a handicap hurdle at Newbury in March of last year and he’s in off 115 today, so whether he is well handicapped remains to be seen.
However, Howaya Now is still a relatively young horse and there could be more to come from him. On the downside, his trainer hasn’t had a winner for 202 days (26 runners) and he fell when beaten on his seasonal return last year. He can’t be totally discounted but the percentage call is to look elsewhere.
5 Stratton Oakmont – Ben Godfrey
Form: 12221
Trainer: Kayley Woollacott
Current Odds: 11/2
Connections have been patient with this 8yo and last season, that patience was finally rewarded. He ran some decent races under Rules when starting out his career in early 2021 but he failed to get his head in front for two years. A switch to point-to-points in February 2023 saw him win twice, and since those confidence boosting victories, he has fared much better back under Rules.
In six runs last season he was never out of the first three. He notched up wins at Southwell on heavy off 102 (24.5f), and another on his final run of the season in March at Exeter on soft off 109 (23f). He’s been raised to a career high mark of 114 now and this ground may be just on the quick side for him on his return from a 236 day break. He should run his race, but he’d be of more interest in softer conditions.
6 Balkardy – Isabel Williams (5)
Form: 159P-1
Trainer: Evan Williams
Current Odds: 8/1
Locally trained, this son of Balko reverts to hurdles after a narrow win for this rider in a handicap chase at Stratford (2m6f, soft) last month. That was his fourth win in eight starts over the bigger obstacles, whereas he is only 2-19 over hurdles. Two of those chase wins came at this track over 21.5f and 19.5f on good ground, and he has placed twice over this C&D over hurdles.
One of those places was a second in this race last year on heavy off a mark of 110. He was beaten 4l for the win and he races off a 3lb higher mark now. He’s also 2lb worse off for a 4.75l second behind Ballymagroarty Boy here last year. He has won over three miles in the past, so the trip isn’t a worry, but he is a better chaser than hurdler and he probably has place claims at best off his current mark.
7 Fortified Fortune – Jack Tudor
Form: 2/P2-1
Trainer: Christian Williams
Current Odds: 7/2
Trained an hour down the road in Glamorgan, this 5yo son of Soldier Of Fortune is the most unexposed runner in this field. Pulled up on soft ground on his debut at Ludlow in April 2024, he left that well behind when runner up at 100-1 on his next start at Warwick on better ground. He was a much shorter price for his third start at Newton Abbott and he justified odds of 6/4 in that 2m1f novice hurdle.
After that win, Christian Williams said “We see Fortified Fortune as a very exciting three-mile chaser in the future, so I’m very surprised he’s capable of winning over two miles on a sharp track.” Clearly, he thinks this trip will suit him and he has placed in a 3m point, but it isn’t nailed on that he’ll stay on breeding.
Personally, I don’t like backing horses on their handicap debuts and he doesn’t look thrown in on what he has done on the track. Maybe he’ll go and hack up but for me, he is worth taking on at the prices.
8 Iberio – Brendan Powell
Form: 7O3U-P
Trainer: Joe Tizzard
Current Odds: 16/1
This 7yo comes into this race with a lot of questions to answer. Since winning a heavy ground Taunton handicap by 20l off 108 in March 2023 for Philip Hobbs, he has more or less completely lost his form. His best effort since came on his seasonal reappearance last year when beaten 6.5l into fourth at Exeter (3m, good) but worryingly, he didn’t show any spark at all on his first run for this yard on his return from a 226 day break when almost falling and then pulling up at Chepstow.
The son of Kamsin has now failed to complete in three of his last four starts. Yes, he is down to his last winning mark now but he is very hard to fancy on what he has done on the track over the last year or so. Others make more appeal.
9 Broughshane – Jonjo O’Neill Jr.
Form: /3F4/1
Trainer: Jonjo O’Neill
Current Odds: 11/4
Another relatively unexposed runner. This 6yo point winner didn’t show a whole lot in maidens or novices last season but he got off the mark on his seasonal return and handicap debut in a 2m3f Fontwell handicap hurdle off a rating of 98. He’s up 9lb for that 1.25l win and the form was franked by the runner up who won by 5l on his next start.
The son of Mahler steps up in trip now and while he won a point to point at three miles, his winning half-brothers were most effective at 2m4f. Chances are he will stay this far but we won’t know for sure until he goes and does it. It would be no surprise if he did go and hack up but at the prices, I’d rather look elsewhere.
The Verdict
The unexposed, younger horses are likely to dominate the market. Broughshane has to prove he stays this far under rules and he has a 9lb rise to cope with after his Fontwell win. Fortified Fortune has similar questions to answer on his handicap debut and he also lacks a recent run, as does Howaya Now.
Woodie Flash is another one returning from a break but he has at least won when fresh before and his stamina is proven. He looks the most likely of the market leaders but I am going to take a chance on the elder lemon, Ballymagroarty Boy.
He should strip fitter for his comeback run at Exeter, he is 2lb better off with Balkardy than when beating him by 4.75l over this C&D last year and Nigel Hawke won this race in 2023. At odds of 22/1, he is worth backing each way now dropping back into class 4 company.
