Racing news: errors on the way around the Berkshire track

 

What A Friend's head defeat in the Aon Chase at the hands of his stable companion Noland raised more questions than it answered about the ability and attitude of an undoubtedly talented horse, but one who has more than his fair share of quirks, writes Elliot Slater. 

Sent off the 4/5 favourite, Paul Nicholls' eight-year-old had been a little uneasy in the pre-race market as punters wondered whether the sticky ground would be to his liking on his first start since finishing well beaten at Haydock Park behind Gold Cup winner Imperial Commander in the Grade 1 Betfair Chase in November. 

A couple of jumping errors on the way around the Berkshire track didn't help the cause, but the Alflora gelding was certainly close enough if good enough from the third last. To my eyes he decided to hang fire, and despite the urgings of Harry Skelton proved a far from willing partner, his usual awkward head carriage even more accentuated than is normally the case. In the end he consented to run-on after being switched half way up the run-in and went down by only a head, giving the winner 10lbs. Anyone looking at the Cheltenham Gold Cup odds won't have been impressed by the performance. 

On a point of handicapping What A Friend has at least run to his rating of 159, but even Nicholls admitted after the race that the time has now arrived to slap a pair of blinkers on the horse, and that is something he might well do when he sends his charge to the Cheltenham Gold Cup next month. As always with first-time blinkers it could bring about a tremendous improvement, or alternatively he might hate it and down tools . 

Following his Newbury defeat some bookmakers pushed the odds of a What A Friend Gold Cup victory out to as big as 50/1, although he remains around 33/1 across the board. 

 

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