Beaumont's Party

21st-May-2011

Class 4 handicaps at Chester are not usually my thing, but I think that Beaumont’s Party is a fair bit over-priced here at 8/1. He has been an unlucky horse of late and, while the pursuit of unlucky-looking horses is a sure-fire route to the poor house, that is because they are usually over-bet and therefore under-priced. On this occasion, however, it appears to me as if Beaumont’s Party has gone under the radar.

At Goodwood back in October, he was trapped out wide the whole way from his draw in stall one of 16, he shipped a bump after two furlongs which set him alight, caused him to race freely, and sent him even wider, yet he still kept on well to finish fourth in a race that was dominated by those who raced handily.

At Sandown last month, in the jump jockeys v flat jockeys race, his debut this season and his first run for Andrew Balding, he travelled really strongly through the race before lack of a recent run seemed to tell and he faded to finish third. Then last time at Newmarket, he led a small group of three on his own on the stands rail into what was a strong headwind. He finished only 12th behind Green Destiny, but you can easily put a line through the run.

He is back down to a mark of 75, and that is more than fair. He is poorly drawn today again in stall 11 of 11, but a wide draw over 10 and a half furlongs at Chester is not the big handicap that a wide draw over five furlongs or seven furlongs at Chester is. The step up in trip may be a positive, he was staying on well at the end of a mile at Goodwood last year, and David Probert rides him for the first time, which is a positive. Andrew Balding’s horses are in good form, this is not a good race, and Beaumont’s Party is handicapped to win it.

BEAUMONT'S PARTY WON (ADV 8/1, SP 13/2)

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