Believe out to conquer rivals on Roman Day at Chester

Believitanducan will attempt to follow up his successful return to the Flat earlier this month by putting his best hoof forward around the tight bends at Chester on Saturday.

After a consistent spell over jumps the gelded son of Make Believe hit the ground running back on the level when proving too strong for his rivals in a two mile handicap Ascot earlier this month under Luke Catton.

The Owners Group-owned five-year-old will have a switch of riders on this occasion with Classic-winning jockey Billy Loughnane drafted in to do the steering in the Louise Keegan Handicap.

And although Believitanducan has been nudged up four pounds following his latest success Alan is hopeful he can once again put up another solid performance.

Alan said: “He is my only runner on Saturday. I wasn’t going to run him but they got ten millimetres of rain which meant the ground went good to soft. Providing it doesn’t dry out too much he will go up there.

“He has got a good draw and we have Billy Loughnane booked for him, and he had a winner for me at Yarmouth last year. He is in good order and we are looking forward to seeing how he goes again.

“He has got an entry in the Northumberland Plate, but he would need to go up a bit to have a chance of getting in that. We will just see how this weekend goes first before making future plans.”

Paradias once again ran another pleasing race in defeat when finishing on his first attempt over two miles on the Flat in the Group Three Star Sports Henry II Stakes.

And on the back of that performance Alan is considering sending the Kodiac gelding back to the Esher venue in July for a tilt at the Listed Coral Marathon over the same course and distance.

Alan said: “The old boy has run really well. We are just in no man’s land with him at the moment. Rossa (Ryan) thought he got the trip, but he was just not quite good enough, as the ratings would suggest.

“He could go to Royal Ascot for handicap or we could go for a Listed race. There is the Coral Marathon back at Sandown in early July, which Trueshan won a few years ago, so that could be an option. He is probably a Listed horse.

“I could easily comeback in trip with him though as anything from a mile and a half to two miles suits him. The race at Royal Ascot is three weeks away, and if he recovers fine we could look at that, but we could also think about taking him racing in Europe as well as that race at Sandown.”