SANDOWN

12:00

Immortal (Nico De Boinville)

He’s a very handsome chap who’s always shown up quite nicely at home and has been ready to go for a while but hasn’t been able to run due to the fast ground because he’s a big brute of a horse. We were going to go down the bumper route but decided to abandon that and go straight over hurdles. He was with us last spring for some valuable education and has done everything we’ve asked so far. This looks a good race, and he will improve for the run, but I’m hopeful he can still put up a decent show and if he can finish in the money it will be mission accomplished. We may have won this with Constitution Hill last year and I’m sure many people will be wanting to make comparisons, but let’s not!

1:10

Call Me Lord (Ben Bromley)

He put up a good performance at Kempton last time where he really enjoyed making the running and we’re taking 7lbs off so in theory he’s 3lbs well in here. We’re going back up in trip which is as far as he wants to go but the ground will be fine and he loves this track.

Scarpia (Nico De Boinville)

He’s a horse with a decent level of ability and we’ve tinkered with his wind over the summer. He stays this trip well and has put in some nice pieces of work lately so comes into this is good form. To be honest I’m pretty hopeful he’ll run a nice race. I wouldn’t be ruling him out, anyway.

1:45

Jonbon (Aidan Coleman)

I thought he was excellent at Warwick on his Chase debut and that race fitted in perfectly if we were going to come here. There’s not much I can add that you don’t know other than the fact that he’s come out of Warwick in fantastic shape and his schooling has been electric. Boot Hill has looked good on both his starts over fences and is clearly on the upgrade but Jonbon is 5lbs clear on ratings and is obviously a very exciting prospect.

2:55

Shishkin (Nico De Boinville)

I’m pleased to say that everything has gone to plan in the preparation for this and I can’t see the ground being an issue. Yes, we all saw what happened in the Champion Chase but we have a very valid reason for that and if he can do what he did in that epic smash up with Energumene at Ascot, he must surely take all the beating. We think we have him back to his best and the gallop around Newbury will have sharpened him up nicely.

AINTREE

1:30

Chantry House (James Bowen)

I wasn’t quite convinced the big field and frenetic pace would really suit him in the Coral Gold Cup so we decided to keep him for another week and head up to Aintree for this smaller field where they are likely to go a more sedate pace which will allow him to get into a nice rhythm and hopefully enjoy himself. He’s had a small wind procedure over the summer and we’ve given him treatment for his back so is as good as we can get him. He’s a winner over course and distance and has lots in his favour. He won’t mind the ground either.

3:15

Walkingonair (James Bowen)

We took him out of Newbury last week because of the ground so the Good to Soft here should be ideal. He’s extremely unexposed but is a very, very nice horse and an exciting prospect.

CHEPSTOW

1:37

Caribean Boy (Daryl Jacob)

He was another one who was due to run at Newbury last week but we opted to take him out owing to the ground so this is definitely plan B, and he’s not even entered in the Welsh Grand National, but this trip around Chepstow is probably what he wants and he goes well fresh so comes into this with a likeable chance.