Trapista to take Ludlow honours

Trapista can get back to winning ways down in grade in the Ludlow Race Club Mares’ Handicap Hurdle tomorrow.

Trained by Jonjo O’Neill now, she was a winner in France before being purchased by JP McManus and there was nothing wrong at all with her British debut.

Sent to Huntingdon in October, she was a very easy winner, coming home five lengths clear of her nearest rival and the fourth came out and won next time out.

Not surprisingly she had her sights raised after that and was actually sent off favourite for a mares’ race at Cheltenham in December and for the majority of the race everything was going to plan. She travelled sweetly into contention, looking like she was going to play a major part in the finish only to fade away as so many do up the famous hill.

Back on a flat track track and with nothing of the class of Martello Sky, who won the Cheltenham race, among the opposition, she can get her career back on track.

Galop De Chasse can provide Venetia Williams and Charlie Deutsch with another winner in the Visit racingtv.com Novices’ Handicap Chase.

Like so many from the yard, the six-year-old began his career in France and he looked another shrewd recruit when winning on his first start for the in-form duo at Lingfield.

Well fancied at Chepstow three weeks later, he disappointed as he never looked comfortable at any stage and was pulled up with an irregular heartbeat.

That has clearly been sorted out as just 22 days later at Huntingdon he ran a fine race to be second in a decent little contest and as long as he handles a sounder surface well enough, he should be the one to beat.

Ile De Jersey can take the Racing To School Fillies’ Juvenile Hurdle for Nicky Henderson.

Another French import, she won her last start at Vittel by an easy 15 lengths.

The one question mark would be her win was over almost two and a half miles in testing ground and she is running over a very sharp two miles on a sound surface here, but Henderson is clearly not concerned.

John McConnell is a regular visitor to the northern tracks and rarely leaves empty handed. He is taking a very nice prospect in Drumbear to Sedgefield for the Cazoo Novices’ Hurdle and it would be a major shock should he get beaten.

A 10-length winner at Musselburgh, he was then a beaten favourite at Down Royal but the first two there were trained by Gordon Elliott and Henry de Bromhead – and he was giving them weight. This should be little more than a formality.