Our first runner is TROOPER TURNBULL in the 12.50, a 2-mile maiden hurdle.
I am really excited about Trooper this year, he ran very well in his bumpers and even though his first hurdle at Kelso last December was disappointing it was very soft, holding ground that day so we’ve put a line through it.
Obviously with Paul Nicholls there with what looks a nice horse, he’ll be dangerous and we all might be up against it. But Trooper is one we’ve always loved, he’ll improve for the run after 300 days off but hopefully he shows us the potential he’s got for the season ahead.
STYLE NELSON runs in the second division at 1.25 and we want to see him showing us on the track what we see at home. He ran well in a bumper at Musselburgh in January but his efforts either side of that at Ayr and Newcastle left us disappointed. He’s an excellent work horse, he goes as well as anything in the mornings. We want to see him do it away from home this time though and I’m certain he’s more than just a morning glory.
I have targeted the 3m chase at 1.59 for DEFINITE WISDOM (pictured above), it’s the perfect race for him. Because of the changes to the rules due to Covid-19, he stays a novice until the end of November this season so that is why we’ve had our eye on it for a while.
If the good version of him - the one who turned up at Musselburgh - is on show this weekend then we’d like to think he’ll have a good chance. The form of his second at Wetherby has worked out okay, while he showed he knows how to win at Musselburgh.
The run at Newcastle wasn’t him, I ran him quite quickly, the ground was soft and he didn’t go a yard really. He’s had a good break and is fresh, so we’re going to Kelso hoping for a nice outcome.
VINTAGE GLEN also runs in the same race, it’s his first chase and he’ll learn plenty for the experience. We were pleased with his run over hurdles a few weeks ago but he’s always been a chaser so hopefully he takes to it and we’ll find out more about where we are with him.
In the last race FINAL FLING will only run if the ground is soft enough. He’s in grand order at home, I saw they’re a bit down on him in the Racing Post but I felt he ran okay at Catterick back in the spring. He’ll come on for the run but he’s a past winner (three times!) who has had a few problems. He’s on a good enough mark and we think he could be competitive.
But the ground will be the thing for him, if there hasn’t been enough rain we’ll wait for another day because he has had leg trouble in the past and we’ll bide our time.