Paradias the perfect hors d’oeuvres for what could be an exciting week-end’s racing

January 23

Alan was on target with his first Flat runner of 2025 when Paradias won well at Kempton’s polytrack meeting. He was successful at Glorious Goodwood last summer, but he is 2-3 on the all-weather this winter and has now surpassed his best rating on turf, encouraging Alan to think about the big Finals Day All-Weather meeting on Good Friday.

Reflecting on Paradias’s progress, Alan said:”He almost did the job too well at Wolverhampton on Boxing Day, travelling great on the surface and quickening up to win four lengths. I wasn’t surprised the handicapper put Paradias up 4lb as he is clearly progressing, and he showed plenty of resolution to get home in a blanket finish at Kempton. There is good prize money on Good Friday, so we’ll give it a go.”

On Saturday Alan will be at Cheltenham, where we have three runners, and, assessing their chances, he said:”Until all this rain came we were contemplating trying Grandeur D’Ame over three miles in the Great Yorkshire Chase at Doncaster, but the weather has led us to have second thoughts.

“Reasoning is that though Grandeur D’Ame looked to find two and a half a bit sharp when a solid fifth at Cheltenham in the December Gold Cup the ground was good then, whereas conditions might well come up testing by Saturday, which would mean staying at the shorter trip for the similarly valuable Betfair Exchange Handicap Chase could prove the best option.

“Masaccio was also entered at Doncaster, but he, too, will be heading to Cheltenham for their novice handicap chase. He was not disgraced when finishing third in the Kauto Star Novices’ Chase at Kempton over Christmas, but he was in top gear all the way and I think it showed that he was not quite Grade 1 standard, suggesting we’d be better looking down the handicap route.

“The race I have in mind at Cheltenham in March is the Ultima, in which I have done well with novices in the past, and as he will need another race beforehand this one fits in well time-wise.

“Our other runner is Newbury winner Believitanducan in the JCB Triumph Hurdle Trial Juvenile Hurdle. He is a big frame of a horse and we are not getting carried away with him after that win, but he jumped really well that day and this could be the ideal next step.”

I relayed earlier in the week how excited Alan was getting about Helnwein and we are all looking forward to him running at Sandown tomorrow, but Alan was also very positive about our new recruit Castle Carrock, who has his first run for Barbury in the novice hurdle on the Esher course.

Alan added;”Castle Carrock is a lovely prospect, and he won a bumper at Ayr by 16 lengths for Nicky Richards in November, and we bought him for £100,000 at the Cheltenham sale two says later.”

It will be interesting to see how Castle Carrock copes with the likely soft ground as underfoot conditions were vastly different in Scotland, but his sire Mahler did win the Queens Vase at Royal Ascot in similar going that he will encounter tomorrow.”

We also have Mystical Moon running at Doncaster tomorrow with Alan hoping the rain coming from the west does not reach Yorkshire. He is a big horse who will be given all the time he needs, but he does seem to prefer going left-handed, hence the decision to go to Town Moor.

Finally, Star Time reverts to the Flat at Lingfield tomorrow. He was going well until a mistake three out took the stuffing out of him on his hurdling debut at Newbury last month. But his Flat form is good and he was arguably unlucky not to win outright rather than share a dead-heat at Wolverhampton in November, and he is now on a mark only 2lb higher.