Elliot David has five selections across the two meetings at Plumpton and Wolverhampton this afternoon, live on Sky Sports Racing.
WINTER REPRISE – 2.20 Plumpton
In a race that may not take a great deal of winning, it’s going to be fascinating to see how this ex-Flat runner fares on debut for Alan King. The seven-year-old switches codes having peaked at a rating of 98 on the level, following placed efforts at Listed level.
With a noted liking for soft ground, the recent deluge of rain across the country will have done his chances no harm, and King has certainly found a nice race in which to introduce him.
The Wiltshire handler is of course a trainer with plenty of success with dual-purpose horses in recent years – with the likes of Tritonic, Who Dares Wins, Scarlet Dragon and On To Victory springing to mind – and it could well be that this classy animal can get under way with a win at the first opportunity.
There are one or two questions to answer, notably the lengthy lay-off having last run in September 2022, whether he can jump fluently around a sharp enough track, and slight stamina doubts having raced only up to 1m4f on the Flat.
Nevertheless, the application of a hood will hopefully help him settle well and take the freshness off him, and if running close to his best, I’d expect him to have too much class.
GERICO VILLE – 3.20 Plumpton
The feature amateurs’ handicap chase looks a cracking race, with cases to be made for a handful of the runners. The 2023 11-length winner Sublime Heights returns to defend his title, having returned to form over the course and distance on January 29. The eight-year-old will run off the same rating of 113, but with jockey Gina Andrews jumping ship to get aboard Gerico Ville, perhaps he’ll have to concede this year.
The Chris Gordon stable is enjoying something of a revival after a quiet spell, during which some of their horses weren’t at 100 per cent, and the booking of a leading amateur in Andrews should be noted. Gordon has been quoted previously saying this horse appreciates a truly soft surface, which he seems likely to get this time around, and perhaps more importantly the cheekpieces are reapplied.
This aid resulted in his best hurdle runs back in March, representing a solid level of form for this level, and following two poor runs over fences back in October and November, he’d be a threat off a mark of 110 now Gordon’s string appears to be fit and firing.
MOLTO BENE – 5.05 Plumpton
Charlie Longsdon’s mare entered my ATR Tracker when catching the eye running on into third from well off the pace last time out at Warwick on January 22. Rounding the home turn, the daughter of Jukebox Jury could be seen under stern pressure and seemingly outpaced, a good 10-plus lengths off Nicky Henderson’s Break My Soul.
However, the mare made striking late headway under a considerate ride from Lilly Pinchin to close to within 1¼ lengths of the runner-up, in a performance indicative of a horse that had clearly appreciated the application of a tongue tie. I’ve some doubts as to whether she’d have been suited to the tight turns and short run in that often favour prominent types at Warwick, and she may be more at home now dropped in class on handicap debut.
Though Plumpton is a sharp enough track, the longer straight and stiffer finish, in addition to going an extra furlong, will surely help her cause. Her dam, Molo, has already produced a smart hurdler in Nigel Twiston-Davies’ Cuthbert Dibble, who is now progressing nicely since a switch to handicaps and encountering a sterner test of stamina, and I’d say we’re likely to see a similar story here.
Plumpton racecourse
MIDNIGHT CALL – 6.00 Wolverhampton
This fillies’ novice stakes appeals as a potentially above-average contest, with a solid standard set by the experienced trio of Spiritual Pursuit, Colour Code and Siobhanbrogan. With that in mind, the markets will be well worth monitoring, particularly in regard to the nicely-bred debutant Midnight Call, who is bred to go well on the all-weather. Charlie Johnston’s three-year-old, who cost €80,000 as a yearling, makes a belated debut for prolific owners Clipper Logistics.
Regular Clipper rider Daniel Tudhope is in town for just this one ride and, on paper, you can see why, with the daughter of Caravaggio – who won his own all-weather debut – a first foal of Sneaky Snooze, who comes from a family that have excelled on the surface.
Sneaky Snooze is a once-raced half-sister to three all-weather winners, including the smart Court House, with a combined record of 18: 6-7-1 on the artificial surface, and based on her breeding, you can’t discount a big run on debut.
Wolverhampton hosts the Monday evening fare on the channel
ZIGGY’S MISSILE – 7.00 Wolverhampton
Things haven’t quite gone to plan for Robert Cowell’s Blue Point colt since a promising Bath debut back in August. Having broken well from the stalls, he overcame clear signs of inexperience, and having to race widest of all, to run on into a promising third.
The 1-2 from that race are now rated 83 and 89, respectively, indicating an above-average novice contest and surely confirming the visual promise for Cowell’s charge. His two runs since could perhaps, therefore, be considered disappointing, but Sandown is a difficult track for an inexperienced two-year-old, and he faded out of it on soft ground at Nottingham when last seen in September.
He now makes his handicap debut from a mark of just 66, which could look lenient if he’s able to return to something like the level of his debut effort. The pedigree would offer encouragement for the switch to the all-weather, with US-bred dam Shafaani 2-4 on artificial surfaces, and I’d be confident of a good showing here off this opening rating.