DU CAN DO THE BUSINESS
TAKE the Lord to pick Fagan’s pocket in the feature race at Carlisle this afternoon, the extended three-mile veterans’ handicap chase.
It may well be 11 races since LORD DU MESNIL (3.35) has won a race but in that time this grand 10-year-old has finished second in a Rowland Meyrick and only this season been beaten a shade under five lengths by leading Grand National hope Le Milos at Bangor.
That last run came off a mark of 145 against much better rivals and the selection is able to run off 142 here courtesy of Lilly Pinchin taking 3lbs off his back.
Both the deep ground and stiff course will be hugely in his favour and he is taken to see off the 13-year-old Fagan and the admirable Ramses De Teillee Haveanothergoflo is gradually getting the hang of hurdling for Don McCain, but he may still have to give best to MONOCHROMIX (2.25) in the maiden hurdle. This rangy looking five-year-old simply wasn’t suited to the moderate pace in a similar race at Ayr and this uphill finish should play to his stamina strengths here. Most of the novices set to line up in the handicap hurdle look average at best and exposed which means that the lightly raced
BLAZING PORT (3.00) may be able to open his account over timber at the seventh time of asking.
He paid the price for being very free last time out when fifth at Newcastle and a handicap mark of 89 looks very fair.
Three miles has looked beyond MAROWN (4.10) on his last two starts but based on his second to Elvis Mail over two and a half miles in October, the Nicky Richards trainee has outstanding claims now dropping back in trip again.
Eased a further 3lbs in the weights, I fancy the son of Milan can take care of both Ubetya and the unexposed Lord Roco.
Although Tahmuras let the form down at the Cheltenham Festival, the runner-up to the
Paul Nicholls horse in the Tolworth Hurdle L’ASTROBOY
(1.30) should be able to defy a penalty in the opening novices’ hurdle at Chepstow.
A 6lbs pull in favour of Pilot Show should see him get a lot closer to his recent Ffos Las conqueror Bobmahley in the three-mile handicap chase but both may have to give best to French import HAUT FOLIN
(2.05) who is steadily acclimatising to life in the UK and finally gets the deep ground he needs. Later on, have a second look at BONZA BOY
(4.25) off top weight in the Cazoo Handicap Chase. Jeremy Scott’s six-year-old has always looked like a chaser in the making and starts life over fences off a very attractive mark.