Trainers primed for Tennent’s Raceday
Six races scheduled as jumps season gets tasty
The jumps season is now in full swing and following the meeting at Ayr on Wednesday the next action is on Thursday, November 29 – Tennent’s Raceday.
There are six races scheduled with the two principal contests a Class 4 Handicap Hurdle and Class 4 Handicap Chase.
Many of the trainers who have runners at Ayr at this time of the year have had their preparations put on hold because of the drier than normal conditions that have prevailed so far. But that’s changing now and I expect that Nicky Alexander, James Ewart, Nicky Richards and Iain Jardine will have their horses primed for the end of the month action.
With that fixture still a bit away, I thought I’d look at some of the horses I think are worth following from some of the northern yards over the coming months.
Lucinda Russell has her horses well ahead in their work and I think it’s just a matter of time before the very lightly raced five- year- old Mighty Thunder wins a hurdle.
A winner of a bumper back in 2017, this horse ran a big race at Kelso on Saturday to finish second to the Nicky Richardstrained Court Dreaming.
This was Mighty Thunder’s second runner- up spot since having wind surgery and if he lines up in the 2m 5f handicap hurdle at Ayr on November 29 he is well worth a look.
Keith Dalgleish has a few jumps horses in his care and one I like is Mixboy, owned by Paul and Clare Rooney.
This is a horse who I thought would have already developed into a really decent two- mile chaser but a couple of falls somewhat derailed that career and he won a handicap hurdle at Sedgefield last month.
If he returns to chasing I think he could land a race or two over the winter months and there is a race at Ayr on January 2 I think he could be aimed at.
Nicky Richards has an embarrassment of riches at his Greystoke yard and he is a trainer I regularly chat to.
As I say he has many top horses in his care but one that should have a really good winter is recent Ayr bumper winner Ribble Valley.
This horse will be treated with care by Nicky and will probably run again in a bumper before setting out on novice hurdling and he will almost certainly be back in action at Ayr either on November 29 or January 2.
My last horse to follow is from Mike Smith’s yard and is Beau Et Sublime. An eight year gelding this horse caught the eye when running fifth of seven in the Tennnent’s Scottish Champion Hurdle trail at Ayr on November 3 and with his sights set lower should win a race or two.