It is difficult to assess the quality of the performances in the 2013 Charlie Hall Chase. The fact that Long Run (4/5f) performed so poorly makes the relative performances of the placed horses harder to judge.
The winner, Harry Topper (5/1) jumped very poorly on the first circuit. Jason Maguire did well to coax him round. The jumping improved later in the race but you would not fancy him in a faster run race round somewhere like Cheltenham until he jumps more solidly.
Harry Topper did confirm last season’s Newbury novices’ chase form with Benefficient (17/2), who doesn’t seem to last home over 3 miles in testing ground.
But the fact the five-year-old only saw off runner-up Wayward Prince (50/1) by a nose was hardly convincing. Wayward Prince has a liking for the Wetherby track but was giving Harry Topper 4 lbs and had been beaten by a combined distance of almost 130 lengths on his last three starts (including two top-level Grade 1 races) prior to Saturday.
Unioniste (13/2) ran ‘OK’ but again, even on his first run of the season, should be beating the likes of Wayward Prince.
Cape Tribulation (15/2) seemed to be jumping quite smoothly but had no pace and was always at the back of the field. He was pulled up in the home straight, never really in contention at any stage.
