Kempton on Saturday – surely not another treble ?
February 19
Like most trainers, Alan, delighted how well Charisma Cat ran in first-time cheekpieces to finish second to Cheltenham-bound Khisma at Market Rasen on Tuesday, loves a Saturday winner.
And, while he realises it might be a big ask to replicate the three Kempton winners he celebrated from The Maldives six weeks ago, one senses that Alan will be disappointed if none of the quartet who are heading for the Sunbury course this weekend finish in the money.
Best of the raiders could be The Doyen Chief in the Ladbrokes Handicap Chase, formerly known as The Racing Post Chase. Alan said:”This has been The Doyen Chief’s target since early in the season. He is 2-2 at Kempton and seems to love the place, and, being only a pound higher than when he won over the course and distance last month, we are hoping for another big run.”
Three miles is The Doyen Chief’s perfect trip – he didn’t get the extra quarter-mile at Newbury in November or at Cheltenham in December – and he is so consistent, having finished in the first three in all but one of the races when he has completed the course.
First up for us at Kempton is Favour And Fortune, who makes his seasonal debut off topweight in the Ladbrokes Handicap Hurdle. Winner of the Scottish Champion Hurdle at Ayr two years ago, Favour And Fortune, who has also been a model of consistency, has been off the track since Aintree’s Grand National meeting last April, when he finished third to Wellington Arch and Kopeck de Mee, both of whom are strongly fancied to land one of the big handicap hurdles at Cheltenham next month.
Alan added:”Favour And Fortune had a bit of a setback early on this season, so in a sense we are playing catch-up. He has been working ok, but we are hoping this race will bring him on and that it might put him spot on for Aintree again.”
Es Perfecto has been a smashing servant to Liz Prowting, winning four races and finishing in the frame in another eight, but he has been hugely disappointed in two runs this season.
Alan, who is hoping for better in the two and a half mile chase, said: “We could not find a reason for those two below-par performances, but Es Perfecto has good form overall and has won at Kempton before.
“My one worry is if they had more rain as I’ve always maintained that he is more effective on a decent surface, and he chased home Bravemansgame over hurdles at Newbury on good ground as a novice.”
Our other Kempton runner is Blues Singer in the Dovecote Hurdle, a race Alan has won four times since 2006. However, though Blues Singer did win a bumper over this course, he is short of experienced over hurdles, having only run twice over jumps so far.
Between races at Kempton, make sure you find a television to watch the mile and a half handicap at Lingfield, in which we are represented by another consistent performer in Paradias.
Paradias had a hiccup in the early part of the winter, so has only run twice this season and needs this third race before he has another crack at one of the plum prizes at Newcastle’s All-Weather Championships on Good Friday.
He said:”Paradias has been in really good form at home but is so consistent that the handicapper keeps putting him up a pound. He ran a cracker at Kempton last time, going under in a three-way photo, having been caught near the finish, and, though he has a welter burden off 10st 1lb, I hope he’ll be right there again.”
