Our red-hot tipster Gary Nutting gives his verdict on Saturday’s renewal of the biggest race of the campaign at Newcastle – the Fighting Fifth Hurdle, which is live on Sky Sports Racing.
The 1970s proved a vintage period for the Fighting Fifth Hurdle thanks to triple winners Comedy Of Errors and Birds Nest, with fellow legends Night Nurse and Sea Pigeon also on the roll of honour.
Nicky Henderson, who relies on unbeaten four-year-old Sir Gino, is the race’s most successful trainer with eight wins, most recently with Constitution Hill two seasons ago.
1. BENSON
Jockey: R Mania | Trainer: A M Thomson
Achieved a career-high mark as a nine-year-old courtesy of his Hogmaneigh Handicap Hurdle success at Musselburgh on New Year’s Day but is still the lowest-rated in this line-up and triple-figure odds would appear to sum up his chance.
2. BRENTFORD HOPE
Non-runner
Irish raider Colonel Mustard
3. COLONEL MUSTARD
A Wedge | L Fowler
Plenty of smart placed form to his name, including in graded company, but he will be a 10-year-old in just over a month’s time and his only wins in a 23-race career have come in a 2020 bumper and a maiden hurdle the following year.
4. KIHAVAH
S Bowen | A Keatley
Talented dual-purpose performer (rated 101 on the Flat after following up his Ebor second with victory at the Ayr Gold Cup Festival) who was readily left behind by penalised Rubaud in a Listed hurdle at Kempton last month. Has the ground and track in his favour, but faces a tough task on level weights in this exalted company considering he had to settle for the runner-up spot off a mark of 127 in a Market Rasen handicap this summer.
Lump Sum races to victory at Kempton
5. LUMP SUM
D Johnston | S Thomas
Boasts four wins and a second from just six starts over hurdles and the form of his short-priced reappearance success at Ffos Las was boosted when runner-up/stablemate Steel Ally landed a strong-looking handicap at Haydock last weekend. This demands quite a bit more but he’s classily-bred (Flat and jumps), clearly progressive and has race-fitness on his side compared to the two market leaders.
6. MYSTICAL POWER
M P Walsh | W P Mullins
Bred to be a champion in this sphere and living up to expectations despite finding one too good for him in last season’s Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham. Subsequently atoned for that honourable defeat with Grade One victories at Aintree and Punchestown, which put him in as the highest-rated runner here.
Mystical Power and Mark Walsh on their way to winning the Sky Bet Moscow Flyer Novice Hurdle
7. SIR GINO
N de Boinville | N J Henderson
Flawless record began with his only start in France and he’s not been hard-pressed in three starts this side of the Channel, the latest of which was in the Grade One juvenile hurdle at Aintree. Has only 2lb to find with Mystical Power on official ratings, albeit he would be a rare four-year-old winner of this event.
8. TELLHERTHENAME
K Woods | J & A J O’Neill
Progressive novice for previous yard last season and travelled well for a long way on ground that might have been softer than ideal when last of the 10 finishers in the Supreme (just over 14 lengths behind Mystical Power). Interesting his new trainer has spurned a handicap entry this weekend to aim for the stars.
9. TAKE NO CHANCES
C J Todd | D Skelton
Consistent, improving mare who gained her first success outside of novice/handicap company when routing a Listed field confined to her own gender at Wetherby four weeks ago. This will be tougher against the boys but the 7lb allowance brings her into the place equation.
GARY NUTTING’S VERDICT
MYSTICAL POWER and Sir Gino are head and shoulders above the rest on official ratings, preference being for the former. Willie Mullins nominated this race as the likely resumption point for the five-year-old following his Punchestown win and he probably learned more in his novice campaign than Sir Gino did swatting aside fellow juveniles. Colonel Mustard is next in on the ORs but Lump Sum, Tellherthename and Take No Chances all have the potential to improve past him. If it turned into more of a Flat race on the ground, Kihavah could well outrun his odds.