Horses of interest at Wetherby & Carlisle

As discussed, I am working for Racing TV at Wetherby and Carlisle on Wednesday and Thursday respectively. The ground is currently described as good at the former venue with little rain forecast in the next 24 hours but conditions are expected to ease at the latter with Storm Babet (I don't recall ever meeting anyone with that name) circulating in the North on Wednesday evening/Thursday morning.

The most interesting runner on the Wetherby card is the horse towards the bottom of page 94 (third last one) in One Jump Ahead. A course and distance winner, he was useful over hurdles before his form tailed off towards the end of last term. Very much at home on a flat track and good fresh, it will be disappointing if he doesn't go close on his fencing bow. His yard are in fine form and he already has experience over the larger obstacles having begun his career in Irish points. 

There is an eight race card at Carlisle with the two mile one furlong novice hurdle dividing. Charlie Longsdon has a good record in the two miles novices' handicap chase at 1.50 winning it twice in 2013 and 2015 and he fields the useful novice hurdler Western Zephyr. A winning UK pointer who is unbeaten on his reappearance, he is suited by right handed tracks and looks tailormade for this. However, the yard are without a winner for 54 days and the six year old is ridden by a conditional (1 from 1 on him). OJA is represented by runners on pages 117 and 126 and both are threats to the southern raider. The softer the ground, the better for the former. 

Look out for the horse featured on page 177 who contests the staying handicap chase at 3.35. He has bigger targets on his agenda later in the season and would benefit from a longer trip but a bold showing is still anticipated. Later on the card, the horse featured on page 132 should be competitive on her chasing debut off a lenient looking mark. Finally, the meeting rounds off with a fifteen runner bumper at 5.20 - the horse at the top of page 79 is expected to go very well provided the ground doesn't become too testing, with the horse on page 126 an obvious danger.

I will be back to update the Diary later in the week. Please head to the Publications section of the site to order your copy of One Jump Ahead and the Updates, if you haven't already done so. We now have less than 200 copies available - the demand has been superb and greatly appreciated.