Jovial Joey set to shine at sunny Perth

Cumbrian raider fancied at first of three fixtures at Scone

Maurice Barnes is hoping for a big run from his course and distance winner

JOVIAL JOEY in the feature race at Perth today.

Glorious sunshine is expected for the afternoon summer meeting, the first of three busy fixtures this month.

The Cumbrian raider, whose course win came at the 2017 Perth Festival, faces six rivals in the £15,000 Horizon Parking Handicap Chase over three miles at the Scone track.

Barnes, a Grand National-winning jockey on Scottish-trained Rubstic in 1979, said: “This trip on nice ground suits Jovial Joey and we bought him three years ago to go chasing. Our horses are on pretty decent form at the moment so he should have a bit of a chance.” KILBREE KID is another who knows where the winning post at Perth is, as he has recorded no less than five wins at the UK’s most northerly track.

Four of the strikes for the Tom George-trained gelding have come over fences, with the other in a hurdle race back in 2013. The sole Scottish-trained runner is

AMILLIONTIMES from the Inverurie yard of Jackie Stephen.

The bottom weight has won twice at

Perth over fences and once over hurdles.

ALIZEE DE JANEIRO, trained by Lucinda Russell, is one of six declared for the Mackie’s World Class Indulgence Handicap Chase.

A winner over a shorter trip at Perth in May, he carries the colours of Deborah Thomson who is one of the Two Golf Widows that own 2017 Grand National hero One For Arthur.

Perth Racecourse ground staff have been working around the clock to ensure that the track is suitable for tomorrow’s meeting, with the going officially Good.

The racecourse has also installed a brand-new cooling system to provide horses and stable staff with shelter before and after running in the hot weather.

Gates open at 12 noon with the first race scheduled for 2.10pm.

SELECTIONS:

HAYDOCK: 2.00 Space Talk, 2.30 Hesslewood, 3.00 Triple One, 3.30 Hot Team, 4.00 Sosian (NAP), 4.30 Eeh Bah Gum, 5.00 Foxtrot Knight.

PERTH: 2.10 Outback Blue, 2.40 Call Me, 3.10 Border Breaker, 3.40 Thames Knight, 4.10 Jovial Joey, 4.40 Roi De Dubai, 5.10 Keep The River.

DOUBLE: Jovial Joey and Sosian.