Preview comment:
Sir Reginald had The Confessor behind when runner-up over 7f at Chester and went one better at Doncaster. He has a chance here, despite the penalty, while stablemate Polski Max could be interesting if recapturing early-season form.
Explanation:
SIR REGINALD and THE CONFESSOR both ran in the chesterBET Powered By Datatote Handicap over 7 furlongs at Chester in 30 August 2013. SIR REGINALD finished second in that race and THE CONFESSOR was fourth. As a result, the theory is that SIR REGINALD should beat THE CONFESSOR again in this race too.
SIR REGINALD then ran in a 6f handicap at Doncaster on 13 September 2013 and won that race i.e. ‘went one better’ than the runner-up spot in his Chester race.
The penalty: SIR REGINALD carries a weight penalty of 5 pounds for winning a race after 24 August 2013. Weight penalties are applied for race wins close to the date of a subsequent race. The official handicapper might not have the chance to reassess a horse if it wins close to a big handicap race.
Both SIR REGINALD and POLSKI MAX are trained by Richard Fahey i.e. stablemates. POLSKI MAX won two races early in the season – in April and May – but has not performed so well in three races since then. He needs to perform like he did in April/May rather than he did in his June and August races.
