Slanelough schooling
Here Comes The Man’s win at Newcastle on Saturday was most welcome and it was fantastic to see him back up his Ayr run by going one better this time. The soft ground was perfect for him but beyond that, Craig Nichol just says he feels like a different horse this season. He definitely had some physical issues last year but they’re resolved now and he’s running the way we know he can. He may have one more run before a summer break but if he doesn’t then we have an exciting horse for the autumn. We were delighted to get the Cheltenham For Breakfast syndicate up and running with their first winner too - and here’s to plenty more.
It’s off to Kelso now, where Saturday’s Grand National winner Corach Rambler will parade before racing - and it’s great to have a big winner from the north for everyone to celebrate. We’re delighted for Lucinda, Scu, their staff and all the connections of the horse, it’s a fantastic story. For Lucinda and Scu to win two Grand Nationals within six years is incredible and to win it so convincingly was a super training performance. Well done!
GET WITH IT (2.45) is our first runner, returning to a track he likes with ground conditions what he wants too. He went up 7lbs for his win here back in October and has found life slightly more difficult since, although he’s managed to finish in the places in two of his three runs.
We gave him a bit of a break over the winter, bringing him back at Doncaster four weeks ago. Hopefully that run will have blown any cobwebs away and he’ll be ready to go here. There are a couple of last-time-out winners in the race and a few who have shown a decent level of form over the winter, so it’s a tough enough assignment for the grade but we’re fit and well so hopefully he’ll take a step forward from last time and be competitive.
SLANELOUGH (3.20) returns to action in the 3m chase having settled much better and stayed well in his races in the last couple of years. He is bred for this trip so it will be interesting to see how he takes to it. He’ll find the ground here more to his liking than it was at Doncaster on his last start, where he just couldn’t really get going when the race heated up. Craig Nichol rides and gets on well with him so hopefully he can make another bold bid from the front and get involved.
Up next is RAE DES CHAMPS (3.55) who we have to admit has frustrated us this season with two underwhelming runs. After a very productive March last year, winning at Musselburgh then finishing second in a good race here, we had hoped she would really kick on this season. We came away disappointed with her efforts at Newcastle and Ayr in handicaps off a mark we thought would be well within her capabilities.
She’s been kept away from testing ground over the winter, having last run just before Christmas, so hopefully the break will have done her good and the drop in grade here will be in her favour. She’s a horse we still have a lot of belief in, she’s ready to go and we’re optimistic about her running well.