Spring weather enhances Charisma Cat’s prospects in Mares Bumper at Sandown

March 6

Every trainer would love to have a winner or two going into Cheltenham, and Alan has three chances of a pre-Festival boost for the stable at Sandown on Saturday.

With a rain-free forecast for this week-end, Alan is hoping that the Esher slopes will continue to dry out as Charisma Cat has had the valuable EBF Mares Bumper as her spring target for some time now.

Alan said:”Charisma Cat should be 3-3 in her bumpers, but I was frustrated and pleased in equal measures when she only just failed to get up in the Alan Swinbank Bumper at Market Rasen in January.

“The frustration came when Charisma Cat lost her place when the field bunched up before the home turn, but it was pleasing to see her finish her race off so well that she’d have won in another couple of strides. She is a lovely mare and if she get her ideal ground I’d be hopeful she’ll go very close.”

Midnight Rumble, who twice finished second on the Flat on this course last summer, heads for the Juvenile Handicap Hurdle. Alan added;”He hung so badly at Warwick last time that he became difficult to ride, but switching to racing right-handed here will help.

“In the circumstances, Midnight Rumble did well to finish as close as he did in fourth place at Warwick, but he has had a fair bit of physio since and off a mark of 113 he should be competitive in what is his first handicap.”

Our other Sandown runner is Off The Jury in the EBF Novices’ Handicap Hurdle. He is another who will appreciate reverting to a right-hand track, and that word ‘frustrating’ comes up yet again when we analyse his run at Wetherby last week, when he ran out at the final flight when looking sure to be involved in the finish.

That was Off The Jury’s first run since he underwent a soft palate cauterisation, and, reflecting on that Wetherby run, owner-jockey David Maxwell said:”I had both hands on my left rein trying to keep Off The Jury in as he was hanging the whole way down the back and again up the home straight,

“He tried to do it at the second last, but you have to try and get a bit of forward momentum, you can’t just keep hauling him in. He is so frustrating, but he has got plenty of talent.”