Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Parfois looking perfect
MS PARFOIS can defy the weight of statistics and become just the second mare to win the Ladbrokes Trophy at Newbury today. Only Kerstin in 1959 has triumphed for the distaff division, but in Ms Parfois, Anthony Honeyball appears to have just the type to right that record. The seven-year-old enjoyed a fine novice season last term, winning three of her seven chase starts, including a Listed mares’ event over just short of three miles at this very track. She also managed a fine second in the fourmiler at Cheltenham before chasing home Terrefort in Grade One company at Aintree on her final outing. Ms Parfois looks as though she will stay for days, so this three-and-aquarter-mile trip should be right up her street, especially with conditions having started to ease in recent days. She lines up on a competitive enough mark and can be relied upon to put in a fine round of jumping, with any further rain only aiding her cause. Santini can make a victorious start over fences in the Ladbrokes John Francome Novices’ Chase. Nicky Henderson’s charge won three of his four novice hurdle outings in the 2017/18 campaign, with his only blip coming when third in the Albert Bartlett at the Cheltenham Festival. The six-year-old was an impressive winner on his only point-to-point start, so the omens are good as he starts out over the bigger obstacles. And Buveur D’air should be on the mark for Henderson as he kicks off his campaign in a stellar renewal of the Betvictor Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle.