6.15 Kempton MUNFARRID 6.45 Kempton HAVISHAM Two three-year-olds making their debuts at Kempton this evening. Munfarrid was a £150K yearling for Sheikh Hamdan. Richard Hughes (back from Dubai before flying out again next week for World Cup night) rides. Richard Hannon rated this horse highly as a two-year-old, but he didn't make the track at two. The danger Hercullian Prince was not particularly highly-rated by his trainer and didn't achieve much on debut, but is vying for favourite. This may give us the value given Munfarrid's potential. Havisham cost £320K as a yearling. Rated very highly by his trainer Andrew Balding, he still holds the Derby entry. There is a slight question mark as to why he would be starting out at such a lowly level, but Andrew Balding has trained two of the previous three winners of this particular contest. The opposition, including current co-favourite filly Soul Searcher, is modest to say the least. So there would be long faces if Havisham can't see off this lot. Both horses are available at around 2/1. Further afield, John Gosden's GM HOPKINS is handily weighted for the Lincoln Handicap on the opening day of the Turf Flat season (28th March). Only 8 lbs higher for his win in the Cambridgeshire consolation race at Newmarket in September, he is apparently working very well for JG. He has been supported from 14/1 at the weekend, but is still available at 10/1. Competitive race, but big chance.
One thing Havisham wouldn't have wanted was for the race to turn into a sprint. It has a staying pedigree and was making it's debut over a mile and a half. So very low marks to Mr Keniry a) for not going on when the early pace was a crawl and b) for putting up 2 lbs overweight and being beaten a length! That's racing, folks! Still, a profit across the two runners.
