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Wendigo to make dream chase debut

Written by Press Association | Oct 21, 2025 12:04:04 PM

Wendigo emerged as one of the leading novice hurdlers trained in the UK last season and can get his new career off to the perfect start in the Richard Davis Memorial Beginners' Chase at Worcester on Wednesday.

Trained by Jamie Snowden, the only time he finished out of the first two over hurdles was at the Cheltenham Festival when he lost very little in defeat finishing an 8-length fifth of 20 in the Albert Bartlett behind Jasmin De Vaux.

At one point he looked like finishing third as he made a lot of ground up off the bend, but he was hampered after the penultimate flight and then faded up the hill.

Snowden could have easily found him a more straightforward first outing over fences as up against Pic Roc and Wade Out he will have to be pretty fit, but if he has any pretensions of being a graded novice chaser, he needs to be going very close to winning.

Southoftheborder looked promising at one point when with Nicky Henderson but has been moved to Henrietta Knight for a change of scenery.

He shaped well on his first run for her recently at Fontwell when he travelled strongly for much of the race before not surprisingly blowing up on his first run for 256 days.

Still only seven, he could easily defy top weight in the Fred & Mercy Rimell Memorial Handicap Chase.

Tom George is back in the spotlight this season having taken over the training of King George VI Chase runner-up Il Est Francais from his son, Noel, and Amanda Zetterholm.

But there is another horse based at his Slad yard which George has very high hopes for in Heron In The Park, who begins her season in the first division of the Ashok Patel Mares' Novices' Hurdle.

An Irish point winner, she fetched £280,000 at the sales and impressed greatly on her sole run for George in a Newbury bumper.

George has trained some good ones in his career and thinks highly of this mare and the fact he has booked Harry Cobden for her, and stablemate Caterpillar Girl in the second division of the same race, suggests big runs are expected.

It could be an informative card for the future at Newmarket but the best betting proposition may well be Naga in the CopyBet Fillies' Handicap.

Owned and bred by George Strawbridge, her dam Listen In was a Group Two winner.

Last of five on her handicap debut off a mark of 70, she made no mistake last time out at Chelmsford off 67.

Naga looked a little awkward there, suggesting she was value for a good deal more than the winning margin of 1.50-lengths, so a mark of 72 might not stop her now she has the winning feeling.

Archie Watson has had to be patient with his Kameko colt Hit Squad but gets to give him a second run in the Unibet Supports Safer Gambling Novice Stakes at Kempton.

He made his debut at the same venue in April when second to Cosmic Year, albeit beaten 5 lengths, but a few subsequent winners were well behind him.

Jack Channon's Sarab Star catches the eye in the Try Unibet's New Smartview Racecards Handicap.

His only defeat came behind Saturday's 200-1 winner Powerful Glory in last year's Mill Reef.

He defied a long time off the track to win on his return in August and could be better than a mark of 88. - Press Association

TAB is betting on 3 UK meetings on Wednesday. Here are the tips.

WORCESTER: Race 1: 14.00 WENDIGO (NAP), Race 2: 14.30 Southoftheborder, Race 3: 15.00 Five Valleys, Race 4: 15.35 Heron In The Park, Race 5: 16.10 Caterpillar Girl, Race 6: 16.45 Stroll On By, Race 7: 17.20 Glance Of Glory, Race 8: 17.53 Sun Joy.

NEWMARKET: Race 1: 14.48 Reem Rak, Race 2: 15.23 Contemplation, Race 3: 15.58 Aussie Pearl, Race 4: 16.33 Explosion, Race 5: 17.08 Naga, Race 6: 17.43 Superior Choice, Race 7: 18.18 Dark Shore.

KEMPTON: Race 1: 17.38 Enter Sandman, Race 2: 18.10 Aerial Silk, Race 3: 18.40 Hit Squad, Race 4: 19.10 Previous, Race 5: 19.40 Love Your Work, Race 6: 20.10 Sarab Star, Race 7: 20.40 Dramatic Star, Race 8: 21.10 Jersey Maverick.

ALL TO COME: Wendigo and Heron In The Park (Worcester, Races 1 and 4).