8:53 Uttoxeter
A competitive Class 4 handicap hurdle over 2m7f70y at Uttoxeter on good ground brings together ten runners, several of whom are stepping up in trip while carrying handicapping weights that reflect mixed recent form. The KTB Fit Scores highlight a clear top end with Roaring Home heading the numbers on 70, followed by Havefunontherun on 65 and Belvedere Blast on 61, suggesting the principals hold the key. Trainer and jockey combinations at the track add another layer, with several yards showing above-average records here despite the race posing fresh questions on stamina and headgear for a number of runners.
How the race shapes up
The pace shape points to a fairly even tempo with no obvious front-runner dominating, though several hold up performers could stalk from off the pace. Roaring Home and Belvedere Blast are likely to race prominently while Havefunontherun and Twist Of Fatecatch may settle mid-division or further back. The key question is whether the extra distance will suit those stepping up markedly in trip, and how the first-time headgear runners respond once the race begins in earnest on this good surface.
The KTB Fit ranking
- 1Roaring Home KTB Selection70/100Smart performer who arrives in form after two wins this spring.
- 2Havefunontherun65/100Smart performer who showed useful form when winning over hurdles last season and has a solid placed effort on his chasing debut.
- 3Belvedere Blast61/100Smart performer who has been placed twice from three runs at Uttoxeter and arrives in reasonable form after a recent third.
- 4Sauce Of Life58/100Useful performer who won over 2m4f last season and has placed on good ground.
- 5Twist Of Fatecatch56/100Smart performer who has shown enough in recent starts to suggest he can be competitive in this company.
- 6Lightfingered Jack54/100Smart performer who has shown useful form in stronger company than this.
- 7Faded Fantasy52/100Smart performer who has won at this trip but looks nothing like the horse of old on recent evidence.
- 8Orange Diamond52/100Useful performer who arrives in decent form having shown his best this year over shorter trips.
- 9Mexican Stan45/100Useful performer who showed the right attitude when landing a handicap at Chepstow last month.
- 10Chillhi44/100Useful performer who won on his only previous run here and arrives in decent nick after a solid third last time.
The contenders
Roaring Home KTB Fit 70/100
Roaring Home is a smart performer who arrives in form after two wins this spring. He steps up in trip today having won once from two starts at this distance and holds a solid record on good ground with three wins and six places from nine runs. The Henry Daly yard posts a 13% strike rate at Uttoxeter with an A/E of 0.91 from 342 runs while Sam Twiston-Davies has an 18% strike rate here from 532 rides. Both the trainer-jockey combination shows a 37/221 record with an A/E of 1.00. This is the horse's first run at the track but his overall profile makes him the one to beat.
Havefunontherun KTB Fit 65/100
Havefunontherun is a smart performer who showed useful form when winning over hurdles last season and has a solid placed effort on his chasing debut. He steps up markedly in trip today which asks a fresh question while the first-time headgear is another unknown. The Fergal O'Brien yard has a 17% strike rate at Uttoxeter with an A/E of 0.95 from 487 runs and Jack Hogan operates at 16% here with an A/E of 1.27 from 57 rides. Their trainer-jockey line reads 49/325 with an A/E of 0.93. He has won once from three starts on good ground with another placing.
Belvedere Blast KTB Fit 61/100
Belvedere Blast is a smart performer who has been placed twice from three runs at Uttoxeter and arrives in reasonable form after a recent third. He has won twice at this trip from 14 attempts and holds a solid record on good ground with six wins from 26 starts. The Adrian Paul Keatley yard shows a 30% strike rate at the track from a small sample of ten runs with an A/E of 1.14 while Brian Hughes has a 12% record from 424 rides here with an A/E of 0.84. Their trainer-jockey combination is 19/63 with an A/E of 1.26. He has course form reading 3rd, 7th, 3rd.
Sauce Of Life KTB Fit 58/100
Sauce Of Life is a useful performer who won over 2m4f last season and has placed on good ground. He steps up in trip today for the first time which asks a fresh question while first-time headgear is also fitted. Nicky Richards has a 17% strike rate at Uttoxeter with an A/E of 1.03 from 86 runs and Danny McMenamin posts 12% from 66 rides here with an A/E of 1.02. The trainer-jockey record stands at 98/560 with an A/E of 0.93. He has won once from three starts on good ground with a placing.
Twist Of Fatecatch KTB Fit 56/100
Twist Of Fatecatch is a smart performer who has shown enough in recent starts to suggest he can be competitive in this company. He has placed at today's trip and acts on good ground though his sole run here resulted in a modest fifth. First-time headgear is now applied and the Neil Mulholland yard's 11% strike rate at the track from 413 runs with an A/E of 0.88 offers some encouragement. Harry Cobden has a 13% strike rate at Uttoxeter from 107 rides with an A/E of 0.71. Their trainer-jockey line is 11/60 with an A/E of 0.91 and he has one win from seven starts on good with four placings.
The rest of the field
Lightfingered JackKTB Fit 54/100
Lightfingered Jack is a smart performer who has shown useful form in stronger company than this. Recent efforts have been patchy and the latest pull-up raises a question mark though the small overall sample means he remains lightly raced. The Alan King yard has a 14% strike rate at Uttoxeter with an A/E of 0.76 from 396 runs while Tom Bellamy is on 8% from 199 rides here with an A/E of 0.54. Their trainer-jockey record is 108/776 with an A/E of 0.86 and he has been placed once from two starts on good ground.
Faded FantasyKTB Fit 52/100
Faded Fantasy is a smart performer who has won at this trip but looks nothing like the horse of old on recent evidence. He has failed to place in three runs here and his Christian Williams yard and Jack Tudor both have modest records at Uttoxeter with 8% and 7% strike rates respectively. He has four wins from 19 starts on good ground with seven placings but overall form this year gives little encouragement.
Orange DiamondKTB Fit 52/100
Orange Diamond is a useful performer who arrives in decent form having shown his best this year over shorter trips. He steps up in distance today having already won over this trip though that success came on softer ground and the quicker surface may not play to his strengths. The T Ellis yard and Jack Andrews have modest records at Uttoxeter with 13% and 9% strike rates respectively and he has two wins from seven starts on good with four placings.
Mexican StanKTB Fit 45/100
Mexican Stan is a useful performer who showed the right attitude when landing a handicap at Chepstow last month. He has since run creditably when fourth under a penalty and handles good ground, though his record at this trip reads just one run without success. The Alastair Ralph yard strikes at a 13% rate here with an A/E of 1.03 from 156 runs while Lee Edwards operates at 7% from 323 rides. He is stepping up in class.
ChillhiKTB Fit 44/100
Chillhi is a useful performer who won on his only previous run here and arrives in decent nick after a solid third last time. He steps up in trip today having failed to get home over this distance on his one previous attempt and the first-time headgear is an unknown. The Barry John Murphy yard has no previous Uttoxeter record while jockey Callum Pritchard has a 7% strike rate from 15 rides here. He has won twice from 13 starts on good ground with three placings.
KTB verdict
Roaring Home stands out as the KTB Selection. He arrives with two wins under his belt this spring, boasts a strong record on good ground, and has already shown he can handle this sort of distance. The combination of Henry Daly and Sam Twiston-Davies adds further confidence given their respective records at Uttoxeter. Havefunontherun, Belvedere Blast and Twist Of Fatecatch are the most likely dangers if the selection fails to fire on his first run at the track.
KTB Selection Roaring Home
Morning odds
Best available price per runner, captured 00:02 UTC, 13 Jun. These are a morning snapshot and will have moved — see the live racecard for current prices.
| Runner | Morning price | Bookmaker |
|---|---|---|
| Roaring Home | 5/2 | 7Bet |
| Havefunontherun | 12/1 | 7Bet |
| Belvedere Blast | 8/1 | Bet365 |
| Sauce Of Life | 16/1 | 7Bet |
| Twist Of Fatecatch | 3/1 | Bet365 |
| Lightfingered Jack | 11/1 | 7Bet |
| Faded Fantasy | 16/1 | 7Bet |
| Orange Diamond | 5/1 | 7Bet |
| Mexican Stan | 7/1 | Bet365 |
| Chillhi | 35/1 | 7Bet |
This is the narrative read of the 8:53 Uttoxeter. For the live card — runner-by-runner stats, the full Fit Score breakdown and current odds — see the Uttoxeter racecard. New here? How KTB works explains the Fit Score and why we publish both.
Questions about this race
Which horse has the strongest recent winning form?
Roaring Home with recent form figures of P541-1 including two wins this spring.
How many of the field are wearing first-time headgear?
Four runners: Havefunontherun, Sauce Of Life, Twist Of Fatecatch and Chillhi.
Which horse has the best placed record at Uttoxeter?
Belvedere Blast with two placings from three runs here.
Who has the highest trainer strike rate at the track among the principals?
Adrian Paul Keatley with a 30% strike rate at Uttoxeter from ten runs.
Which horse is stepping up in class?
Mexican Stan.
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