NEWBURY

12:15 – Mares’ Handicap Hurdle

Gran Luna (Nico De Boinville)
She’s a very smart mare who has shown some decent form and will definitely have come on for her first run at Taunton. She does a lot of steady work on our Wexford sand gallop because she’s quite fragile but when things go her way she’s smart. This looks a competitive race but she shouldn’t have any issues with the ground and has won twice at the track.

12:50 – ‘Introductory’ Hurdle

Horn Cape (Aidan Coleman)
He came over from France having won an AQPS Bumper out there and then ran ok on his debut for us at Newbury but he was much too keen early on and ultimately paid the price. We don’t know what would’ve happened at Exeter on his first run back this year because he absolutely clattered through the third hurdle and was down on his nose so was quite rightly pulled up. His work has been good as he goes there with a decent chance.

Surfman (Nico De Boinville)
He brings some extremely high class flat form into this and everything he’s done at Seven Barrows has been very good, from both a work and schooling point of view. He’s actually a very professional person with a lovely attitude. Nico has done a lot of work on him and he won’t have any issue with the ground so I’m extremely hopeful of the very bold show.

2:00 – Handicap Hurdle

Montecristo (Nico De Boinville)
He’s got some decent form to his name and he put in a really good piece of work last week, although I do expect him to improve for the run and he’s still plenty high enough in the weights. That said, two and a half miles around here should be right up his street.

Dickie Diver (Aidan Coleman)
This is probably the first race he’s run in for quite some time where he has a very realistic chance. He will be better over further and the plan is to go back chasing, but this looks a very good starting point and he can go well.

Lust For Glory (Sam Waley-Cohen)
This is very much last chance saloon, I’m afraid. She’s refused on her last two stars and only has one more chance before she gets banned from racing altogether! Her work at home is always very good as she shows absolutely no reluctant behaviour on the gallops so there’s nothing I can do to try and rectify the problem. She is a lovely well bred mare who will obviously have a bright future as a broodmare anyway.

3:35 – Handicap Chase

Patroclus (Nico De Boinville)
I’ve been really looking forward to getting this horse over fences because I must admit his schooling has been exemplary. Whatever he did over hurdles was a bonus; he’s built and bred to be jumping fences and I think he could be an extremely exciting novice chasing prospect. His work is always very good and 2m6f on soft ground at Newbury is exactly what he wants.