Egbert heads an eight-horse raid at Uttoxeter and Kempton on Saturday

March 13

Here’s hoping that Lady Luck deals us a better hand on day three of the Cheltenham Festival than it did on Tuesday, when the chief sufferer in what was a ludicrous ragged start to the Ultima Handicap Chase was our very own Grandeur d’Ame.

Left at least 100 yards behind the main pack, Grandeur d’Ame gradually caught the leaders up, having jumped superbly, and at the top of the hill he was a handy fourth place, still travelling well.

However, inevitably the early efforts to make up the lost ground took their roll, and he beat a retreat from the third fence from home, eventually trailing in with the stragglers.

This was Grandeur d’Ame’s first attempt at three miles plus, and, while some race-readers suggested it was lack of stamina that beat him, surely it will be worth putting a line through this effort and giving the longer distance another try on spring ground.

Masaccio is third-favourite for today’s penultimate chase, so fingers crossed he’ll be in the money, but Alan has opted out of running Favour And Fortune in tomorrow’s County Hurdle and waiting for Aintree instead, so we can focus on what looks like being a busy Saturday for Barbury, with eight runners.

Highlight on the Saturday of Cheltenham week is always the Midlands Grand National, which we won two years ago with Major Dundee, and we look to have a good each-way chance again  in the Uttoxeter marathon with Egbert.

Alan said:”I think Egbert would have finished second in the Eider Chase at Newcastle last time had he not fallen at the final fence, so if he can produce a similar effort here I’d hope he’ll be right in the mix.

“He came out of that gruelling race fine and, though we haven’t done a lot with him since, he popped away when we schooled him on Monday and seems in good form.”

Uttoxeter have been watering all week, which has encouraged Alan to declare I’m A Lumberjack in the the novice hurdle on the Staffordshire course.

Alan insists that we should forget I’m A Lumberjack’s last run at Market Rasen, where he was a beaten horse when falling two out, taking the view that we got the tactics wrong by making the running. He’ll be ridden more patiently on Saturday.

We’ll be doubly-represented in the Uttoxeter bumper, with Tom Cannon riding Sharp Glance, who found the ground too soft at Warwick last time, and Philip Armson on Annie Hathaway.

Alan is hoping for another solid run from The Doyen Chief in the three-mile handicap chase at Kempton. “It’s the logical target as he has to go right-handed, and he’s been in good form since being beaten only a neck at Taunton,” said Alan, who expects him to again be competitive on a 3lb higher mark.”

Christian Bruce, who runs in the mares novice hurdle, will have learned from her jumping debut at Hereford, and remember she only ran three times for William Haggas, so, hopefully, there is more to come from her.

Also heading down the M3 to Kempton is In the Shade, who makes his jumping debut in the novice hurdle, but will surely need this race as he has been off since making his bumper debut on Boxing Day 2023. He has since had a breathing operation, so it will be interesting to see how he shapes.

Finally, Seven Stars runs in the junior bumper on the Sunbury course. He is owned by David and Kathleen Holmes and is ready to start, having shown promise at home, perhaps not surprising in view of the fact that he comes from the same family as Call Me A Legend, who did owners and trainer proud both over hurdles and fences.