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Andy Gibson's Eyecatchers: Seven horses worth keeping an eye on

Popular horse racing analyst Andy Gibson has compiled a shortlist of seven horses that he believes have put in noteworthy performances over the last week or so.

The Imposter

The handicapper has raised The Impostor by six pounds to a mark of 101 and it could have been worse. He stayed away from the inside rail this time as it was very chewed up for this final race of the day.

Although I would want to be with the runner up should the two meet again over this course and distance, I still think this winner remains a well-handicapped horse capable of being competitive off his new mark.

Jet Legs

Jet Legs was held up at the back and was still at the back of the main group with a circuit to go, and he only began to make a little headway halfway down the far side.

Off the bend he made up a lot more ground whilst competing on the inside of the leading players. He joined the eventual winner at the second last hurdle before the effort of having made up so much ground on the leader began to take its toll.
He has only been raised three pounds to 102, so remains eligible for another race at this 0-100 level. I have seriously marked him up on this performance and would tend towards him should he meet the winner back here again in the near future.

Unexpected Party

I thought Unexpected Party was ridden considerately here, and then possibly did not quite get home, and his trainer has expressed an interest in him competing over two miles as a chaser. 

From that, one might expect to see him revert to the minimum trip next time after the handicapper has dropped him to around 138, which is the sort of mark that would see him at the bottom of the weights for a Cheltenham handicap.
He was not asked for an effort until after three out and so the distance he was behind the runner up and the winner at each of the last three fences and the winning post is of interest.
He lost a lot of ground on each of the front two horses from the last to the line despite this being the only point of the race he was under pressure.

Phoenix Way

This was clearly not the target for this horse, so considerately was he handled.
After making up several lengths on the front two horses before the second last fence he then began to tire from in between the final two fences to the line.

Phoenix Way is now down to 140, which is the mark he won off at Ascot last season. He could well go back to Kempton at the end of February for the race he fell early on in last season when trading as the 6/1 joint favourite.

He would line up off a mark six pounds lower this season if going back to Kempton.

Hystery Bere

Hystery Bere made up an unbelievable amount of ground and on this form he would be a player in any top-class handicap run on a testing surface over the minimum trip.

Jason The Militant

New owners paid a few quid for Jason The Miltant and one would guess they have a spring target in mind for him.

I don't know if this was a sighter for the County Hurdle, but either way, if he gets his heavy ground, he could be a threat to all in a top-class race.
He has been dropped four pounds for this performance despite running well for a long way.

Fern Hill

The good ground was not in Fern Hill's favour and consequently he was going as fast as he could for most of the way.

His last two races might well disguise his ability and he could be interesting on soft ground on another day.

Theabove list has been kept in this format for members of thecheltenhamtrail.com and for all readers wishing to save them in an A-Z file or in a Tracker service. This format is also compatible with Proform Racing.

There is usually more upside to noting an interesting performance when you believe the majority are more likely to have missed it. Andy Gibson's Eyecatchers Service considers horses that may go under the radar for many, some obvious ones, and a few interesting performances from horses he may be keen to oppose on another day. Spotting winning and losing efforts that may be underestimated or overestimated in the future can be key.

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