Ski Lodge hits the deck at Hereford so we look to Charisma Cat to get us back on track tomorrow

January 26

Alan was back on the racecourse today, having returned from his sunshine holiday in the Maldives, but his trip to Hereford did not work out as expected, with Ski Lodge, 11-10 favourite for the novices handicap chase, taking a heavy fall when disputing the lead at the 12th of the 16 fences.

Ski Lodge is normally a super jumper, but, unlike at Haydock last time, he made a couple of mistakes in ground conditions that he relishes, and it was a relief to see both the seven-year-old and jockey Tom Bellamy, who had clocked up his 400th winner in the UK when capturing the opener, get to their feet seemingly unscathed.

Fingers crossed we can get things rolling again at Chepstow tomorrow, when Charisma Cat will be attempting to erase her Boxing Day disappointment in the mares novices’ hurdle.

Charisma Cat, three times a bumper winner, had shown plenty of promise on her jumping debut at Newbury, beating all except La Conquiere, who has since only just been beaten in a Grade 2 hurdle at Ascot.

There is no doubt that Charisma Cat needs to polish up her jumping, but she is far better than she looked when turned over at 1-6 at Wincanton over Christmas, and when the penny drops as she gains more experience, she will hopefully show everyone what a classy prospect she has promised to be at home.

Paradias has solid claims of repeating last year’s win in the mile and three handicap at Kempton on Wednesday, though recent Newcastle winner King’s Code has also been successful over this course, while Beylerbeyi, who finished an eye-catching third in that Gosforth Park, had smart form on the turf last season, albeit over longer trips.