Jump Racing Friday 20th January

[Aidymac]

*Charm School - Chepstow 2:20* Handicapper has given this a major chance of winning tomorrow. Won the November Heritage Handicap on the flat and is now thrown in off a mark of 119, if it reproduces its best flat form it should hack up here. Handicap debut over hurdles tomorrow and looked a winner lto only for Ashbrittle to beat it, but they were 21 lengths clear of the 3rd. Not only that, but Adam Wedge takes off a further 5 pounds. Will take all the beating here if it is ready to strike. *1 Point WIN @ 9/4 VC BOG*

[Edberg]

Re: Jump Racing Friday 20th January 2.20 Chepstow Pulteney Land Investment Ltd Handicap Hurdle Cl2 2m110y CHARM SCHOOL 9/4 bog (Ladbrokes, Paddy Power and more) I like the chances of Charm School in the feature race of the afternoon in UK. It's a very competitive Class 2 Handicap Hurdle with a Grade2 winner (Sir De Grugy) and a top yard's representative (Paul Nicholls' Jump City) in but this 7 yo trained by Evan Williams gets a handy mark for his handicap debut and Adam Wedge takes off 5lb that makes Charm School's mark even easier. This son of Dubai Destination was purchased by John Ferguson from the Highclere Stud for 180,000 gns as a foal and became a very good horse on flat where he won 3 races in 13 starts collecting £81k prize money. His last race when still with John Gosden was in November 2009 at Doncaster where Charm School won the November Handicap off a mark of 98 with a super convincing performance. His win came mainly thanks to a remarkable burst from the rear that put Charm School in front and gave him his best ever win 1 3/4L ahead of the second. His OR went up to 115 after that race and two weeks later the horse owned by Princess Haya Of Jordan headed a team of four John Gosden-trained horses who had left the trainer's Newmarket yard to continue their careers in Dubai. The Dubai Carnival 2010 was next Charm School's stop but plagued by injuries the horse never saw any Dubai tracks and after a long break was bought for just £6,000 by Evan Williams in November 2010. Charm School finally came back on track, under the colours of T Hywel Jones, last October with a decent effort in the Persian War Novice's Hurdle, a Grade 2 raced here at Chepstow and won by the mighty Fingal Bay. That debut over hurdles and Charm School's first race after 2 years was not disgraced at all. First of all it was a very tough ask in a high quality company (behind Fingal Bay there were Baile Anrai, twice winners in his last two starts, Paul Nicholls' Current Event, who won his next and last start too) but it was the way Charm School shaped in that race that gave a lot of credits to Evan William's horse for his up-coming future. Charm School took a keen hold but made headway to lead at the 4th flight and stayed there until headed and soon after ridden 4 out. The horse weakened in the end and was tailed off but for 3/4 of the race he ran prominently and was a good effort after all this horse had to face in his previous two years. His next start has been at Ffos Las one month ago. Charm School finished 4th in a good quality field beaten by Jumps Road and Ashbrittle. Jumps Road went on to compete in the Leamington Novices' Hurdle, a Grade 2 raced at Warwick last Saturday and the Tizzards' horse finished 5th while David Pipe's Ashbrittle won his next start at Lingfield two weeks ago beating again (1L) Charm School. The performances of Charm School kept on improving as he stayed on better and better, jumped very well and went really close to beat good rivals. With today's mark and the 5lb taken off by Adam Wedge Charm Scholl should go really close. The young jockey has already collected 19 wins (12%) this season (beating his record of 8 in 2010-11) and won yesterday a bumper with the highly impressive Hold Court, another horse trained by the in-form Evan Williams who saddled 3 winners with his last 10 runners. It's a very nice open race with a lot of good quality horses but I do really like the chances of Charm School who could make a very nice debut in handicap with this mark.