Good morning from Newmarket! Grand National day of course, and we have done a sweepstake in the yard in which I have drawn Valseur Lido! So I will be cheering on Rachel Blackmore this afternoon.
Turning back to the flat, and I am pleased to say that we drew encouragement from several of our runners yesterday, but ultimately drew a blank and could manage no better than fifth. I do hope we will be able to get a little closer than that this afternoon, as we head to Lingfield with a pair of runners.
We get underway with Mawsool in the seven-furlong novice at 2.35. This horse is out of my Royal Ascot winning two-year-old Habaayib, and he showed a good bit of promise as a juvenile himself. On his racecourse debut he finished an excellent third to the now 105-rated Khadeem, whilst on his next start he filled the same position behind the subsequently Listed-placed Breath Of Air and the Grp-3 Horris Hill Stakes winner Mohaather.
On those efforts you would like to think we could win a maiden or novice, but on his third and final appearance of last season he was a bitter disappointment at Kempton on the AW. He has been gelded over the winter, and we are trying a new trip today as we go over a furlong further than previously. His dam just about stayed seven-furlongs and has bred a mile winner, but there is a lot of speed in the family and it could be that we end up going sprinting again later on. So there are question marks surrounding the horse, not least whether or not he is suited artificial surfaces suit him after his Kempton performance.
However, we are just one pound off the top-rated horse in the race and receive a helpful seven pounds from the favourite, whilst the style in which Mawsool raced last year indicated that seven-furlongs should be within his compass. It could be that Lestrade is a very smart animal, but we will hopefully be able to give him a run for his money on these terms. Jim Crowley rides.
Later on in the mile and a quarter handicap at 4.50, Sir Gnet tries to follow up his victory at the course just 10 days ago. The horse took a long time to find the winners enclosure, but has built a very good relationship with today’s pilot Daniel Muscutt in recent weeks, and everything fell into place last time under a cool ride.
I am acutely aware that a small rise in the weights, and the fact we are moving from 0-60 to 0-65 category, makes this a tougher assignment. Throw in the fact that we are taking on the in-form and unexposed pair of Subliminal and Jai Hanuman and suddenly we look up against it. What we do know is that we have an in-form horse who thrives over this course and distance, and we know exactly how to ride him. He should be finishing strongly and I would like to think he can run into the places.
Best wishes,
Ed.