'This will be a hot race' - Britain's top two-mile novice chasers clash in Grade 2 Lightning at Lingfield

The Grade 2 Lightning Novices’ Chase moving to Lingfield has coincided with a deeper field than was typically the case when it used to be staged at Doncaster.

Nine of the ten previous Lightnings were landed by horses priced no bigger than 15-8. Despite only five turning up this season, bookmakers widely opened up at 3-1 the field on the first show. It would be a surprise if anyone returned an SP that short given the similar calibre of performance they have produced over fences.

Three-quarters of a length split Djelo and Master Chewy when they met at Aintree in November. JPR One gets 5lb from those horses, which almost perfectly aligns with their slightly superior handicap marks, while Matata is similarly rated and receives weight.

Even outsider Pembroke can be given a squeak. He is 16lb better off with Master Chewy from their Aintree meeting in October, a race for which he was the 5-4 favourite but failed to give his true running.

JPR One will be a danger to all if producing an error-free round. A final-fence blunder cost him a Grade 2 victory at Cheltenham two starts ago, but crucially the 5lb penalty that goes with it. Another error two out ended his chance in the Henry VIII last time, for all that race failed to live up to its Grade 1 billing. The surprise winner, Le Patron, produced a Racing Post Rating that stacks up poorly compared with the Henry VIII’s recent history. 

Le Patron’s 152 RPR at Sandown is 2lb shy of what Matata served up at Cheltenham this month in a warm handicap chase just behind the well-regarded Libberty Hunter. That is a standard-setting performance and he arrives with the lowest number of chasing starts (two), and potentially the greatest long-term potential.
Race analysis by Robbie Wilders

What they say

Venetia Williams, trainer of Djelo
We're once again crossing swords with Master Chewy. It looks like a competitive race, as you'd expect for a Grade 2, and he's got to give weight away, but he deserves to take his place.

Nigel Twiston-Davies, trainer of Master Chewy and Matata 
Master Chewy was brilliant when winning the Wayward Lad at Kempton, while Matata has similarly had a terrific season and was runner-up by just a length at Cheltenham on New Year's Day, giving nearly a stone to the winner. This will be a hot race but hopefully my two will show the others what they've got.

Dan Skelton, trainer of Pembroke
It's a warm race, which it should be for a good chunk of prize-money, and we're throwing our hat in the ring. He's got a bit of experience under his belt and I think two miles is more his trip. He did win over two and a half miles at Aintree last time but that was because he handled the very bad ground.

Joe Tizzard, trainer of JPR One
He seems to have come out of his Sandown run well and has been schooling well. It looks like a competitive race but there's not a lot between the top four in the market.
Reporting by Jonathan Harding

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