Newbury
12:40
Wiseguy (James Bowen)
He’s only had three runs over fences, so is very unexposed in this sphere, and he schooled well earlier in the week. The good to soft ground will suit and, while this is a typically competitive Handicap, he has a nice low weight and could reward each way support if getting into a rhythm.
1:15
Califet En Vol (James Bowen)
He looked very good at Kempton last time, albeit in an ordinary Novice, but he’s a smart animal and everything he’s done so far has been good. This is another step up but we think he’s quite capable.
1:54
Impose Toi (James Bowen)
We haven’t seen him since he got struck into behind in the Lanzarote Hurdle which was quite nasty and kept him off the track for the rest of the season. He has schooled over fences, but we’ve decided to keep him to hurdles for the time being, and the ground and trip both suit him well.
Gentle Slopes (Charlie Deutsch)
He’s the most gorgeous son of Gentlewave who has only had one start for us, winning impressively at Kempton in January, and steps into Handicap Company for the first time. The ground is currently soft, and I wouldn’t want it to go any softer, because he’s a good moving person.
No Ordinary Joe (Freddie Gordon)
He hasn’t won for a while but is smart on his day and Freddie’s 5lbs claim brings him down to a workable mark. This is his trip and he has a good record fresh.
Spring Note (David Bass)
She’s a very admirable mare who is unbeaten around Newbury (three from three) and seems to handle any ground. This is the toughest task she’s faced but if she can get an easy lead out in front, she could easily run very well.
Unibet are paying an EXTRA PLACE on this race!
2:25
Jeriko Du Reponet (James Bowen)
This is obviously not where we thought we’d be going after Sandown, but we all know what happened there and unfortunately I can offer no explanation; it simply, wasn’t the Jeriko we all know. So, we’re going back hurdling, for the time being, and this will help regain his confidence. Everybody knows how much we all love him, and everything is absolutely fine at home. I really hope he can get his career back on track.
Aston Martini (David Bass)
We went to Bangor last time really hoping to win in honour of Richard Aston, and to be honest, she probably should have won. That will have sharpened her up, though, and she handles soft ground well. She’s definitely not out of this.
Unibet are paying an EXTRA PLACE on this race!
Newcastle
2:10 – The Fighting Fifth
Sir Gino (Nico De Boinville)
As has been very well publicised, this was not the original plan, because we were all set to go chasing, which we could still easily do, but for the time being, this is where he is and I’ve been very happy with his preparation.
He schooled over hurdles on Tuesday and was very good. I must admit this is a very strong renewal of the Fighting Fifth, and Mystical Power has looked very good, but we have always held Sir Gino in extremely high regard and we will, at least, have a much clearer idea of which way his season might go, after this.
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