Dropping down in grade might rekindle the Brioni flame at Epsom on Sunday

September 26

Alan has never been a big fan of Sunday racing, but he has three solid chances at Epsom this week-end, starting with the promising Alcarath in the novice.

Alcarath belied odds of 33-1 when running a pleasing first race at Kempton in August. He clearly learned plenty from that first experience as he build on that debut when finishing second to the highly-rated Explode when stepping up to a mile and a quarter at Salisbury three weeks later.

Next up comes Midnight Rumble in the Apprentice Derby, a handicap named after Mill Reef’s much-missed and hugely popular Epsom-based jockey, who died last month.

Luke Catton rides Midnight Rumble, who should be suited by the undulations as his only success came at Lingfield, which is a similar course.

Granted, Midnight Rumble has been off since early June when he ran a cracker to run Kitty Furnival to a length, but he was twice second at Sandown last year and looks to have a definite each-way shout.

Our final Epsom runner is Brioni, who is also experiencing Epsom for the first time in the mile and a quarter handicap. Disappointing in his first two runs this year, Brioni recaptured his smart form from last season when winning at Sandown in June.

The cheekpieces looked to help on the Esher slopes, and, while he was not able to match that form in two subsequent races at York and back at Sandown, he ran much better than his finishing positions suggests, plus both were Class 2 affairs. So dropping back down a grade could make Brioni a major player here.

We have a couple of runners at Market Rasen on Saturday, with Blue Tempus trying to shake off his bout of second-itis when he returns after a five month holiday in the juvenile hurdle.

Gelded last winter, Blue Tempus ran his best race yet on the Flat when runner-up at Beverley in April, since when he has done well on his first two runs over hurdles, finding one too good at both Newton Abbot and Stratford. He has only three opponents, and, while hat-trick seeking is likely to start a warm favourite, our fellow will hopefully do himself justice yet again.

Also heading for Market Rasen is Vivid Pink, who might need her comeback run in the finale as she has been off the track for 10 months.  However, she had been frequently been knocking at the door before that absence, having twice finished second at Huntingdon and also produced two encouraging runs over this course.

Though inevitably frustrated with two more seconds this week with Nap Hand and Ernest Gray, Alan was pleased to see Mount Olympus first home in the opener at Kempton on Wednesday. The seven-year-old has now won four times for the Ponsonby racing syndicate since joining the Barbury team at the start of 2023.

Mount Olympus had a wind operation at the end of that year, but, taking advantage of a slight drop in his all-weather handicap mark, and visored for the first time on the Sunbury course, he was given a great ride by Sean Levey, producing a powerful run from two furlongs out and getting the better of a tight battle with Woodstock City on the run to the line to win by a head.