Racing Post

Stiff task awaits Sceau but full of hope he runs well

WE have another Grade 1 two-mile chase in our sights this weekend and I hope Sceau Royal can get in the money.

He’ll be my first runner at the Dublin Racing Festival, and probably one of very few British horses going over to take on the Irish in their own backyard.

Although he’ll have a stiff task taking on Blue Lord in Sunday’s Ladbrokes Dublin Chase, I’m full of hope that he’ll run well enough to make the trip worthwhile.

He’s a remarkable horse who holds his form year after year and he’s been close to his very best this season. He schooled on Monday and remains in fine heart.

He’s better going lefthanded over fences and on decent ground, which suggests he should be suited by Leopardstown this weekend. And there probably won’t be many runners, so he should pick up some prize-money.

I hope Future Investment will bounce back from a disappointing effort at Cheltenham if he takes his chance in the novice handicap hurdle at Sandown on Saturday.

He’d been progressive up to that last run and ought to be suited by this test on his handicap debut over hurdles.

Most unusually, I have two sisters entered in the mares’ novice hurdle at Wetherby.

Passing Reflection wasa promising second on her hurdling debut at Doncaster, staying on well behind a decent winner, and should be competitive if she makes the progress expected.

The year-older Pass The Love On has actually had the less racing of the pair and has been off since finishing second in a bumper at Ludlow.

Several horses have had to wait their turn through the spate of abandonments, including Ernest Gray ,who has weekend entries at Wetherby and Hereford but needs to settle better.

I also hope that a belated switch to fences at Hereford on Sunday will be the making of Moonamacaroona ,who didn’t hit the heights I expected of her over hurdles.

MIDWEEK RUNNERS

I’m hoping Spartan Army will come back to his best in the novice hurdle at Wincanton on Thursday.

I slightly overfaced him in the Finale Juvenile Hurdle at Chepstow over Christmas. It was only the fifth race of his life and fifth place in a Grade 2 wasn’t any sort of disgrace.

But he had won well at Wetherby first time and was never quite able to get into the same rhythm at Chepstow. I still like him and hope there’s more to come.

This will tell us where we go. Although he’s entered in the Triumph Hurdle, I’d be surprised if he ended up there – I suspect he’s more a horse for Aintree.

I’d be hopeful for a good effort from Allegro Forte in the bumper. She ran better than her finishing position suggests on her debut at Ludlow as she had to come from a long way off the pace after getting shuffled back through the field.

She’s come on for the

outing and should build on that effort – and she could be one to race on the Flat later in the year.

Among those who has missed opportunities due to the weather of late is Nothingtochance, who should finally get the chance to run in the mares’ maiden hurdle at Exeter on Wednesday.

Like her brother Edwardstone, she’ll improve with racing. I was happy enough with her first run and I think she’s come on for that.

Don’t discount Mount Olympus because of his ordinary Flat form when he makes his hurdling debut, either at Chepstow on Friday or Sandown on Saturday.

He’s really pleased me since joining us and certainly works better than a horse with a BHA rating of just 54.

It may be that he’s getting better with age and it’ll be interesting to see how he gets on here.

My Flat horses continue to run well and I’m hoping for the best from the small team set to race on the all-weather this week.

Wurlitzer is sharper for his first run in more than three months, at Kempton last month, and should build on that in the mile-and-a-quarter handicap at Lingfield on Friday.

Gavi Di Gavi has also come on for his first run of the year and should give a good account in the mile race, although he’s probably a bit high in the handicap.

That could also be said of Sword Beach. However, our efforts in getting him to settle seem to be working and he was more relaxed at Lingfield so I hope he can build on that in the mile-and-a-half handicap at Kempton on Wednesday.

Greystoke was a good third on his first run for six months at Lingfield last week. He’ll come on for that and should give his owners plenty of fun, on the Flat and back over hurdles.

We’re getting there with Mr Rumbalicious. He went to the front for what was probably the first time in his life, turning for home at Lingfield last week, and pricked his ears – even though he’s had quite a lot of racing, he’s still learning the job. I hope he’ll find a small race.

NEWS

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2023-02-01T08:00:00.0000000Z

2023-02-01T08:00:00.0000000Z

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Racing Post