Drying ground will suit Charisma Cat in the mares bumper at Aintree tomorrow
April 2
The Barbury team are virtually 50-50 between Flat and jumpers, and I was impressed with the way 10-furlong specialist Brioni did a sharp breeze up the hill when I joined Alan on the gallops yesterday morning.
He is definitely a horse to keep in mind for a big handicap this season, but, more immediately, we focus on the winter performers at Aintree’s Grand National meeting, which starts tomorrow.
Alan heads up the M6 for just the one runner on the opening day, Charisma Cat in the mares bumper, and she will be attempting to give us a fourth success in the race, following Senorita Rumbalita, Avispa and The Glancing Queen.
Charisma Cat is a mare who has always been high up in Alan’s pecking order, and, reflecting on her progress, he said:”We always thought the world of her and after being so unlucky not to win at Market Rasen on her first try at a Listed race, it was terrific to see her win the mares bumper at Sandown.
“It was very holding ground up the straight on the Esher course, and she did not do much in front but still won with a bit to spare. However, she will definitely appreciate the dry spell which we have been experiencing and she should be more effective on this better surface.”
The only worry Alan has about Charisma Cat is that she missed a few days work a couple of weeks ago, having been held up with a bruised foot, Nevertheless, he is happy that the mare is back on track, so fingers crossed she can provide the stable with a fourth win in the race.
One other bit of news. Our veteran stable-star Trueshan will not be ready to make his seasonal return in the Further Flight Stakes at Nottingham next week, though the ground would probably have been too fast for him to be declared anyway.
Alan said that the present spell is restricting how much work he can do with the horses in the mornings, but he stressed that Trueshan, now a nine-year-old but who has mopped up more than £2m in prize money, has wintered well, and he hopes that the weather will break in time for him to reappear in the Sagaro Stakes at Ascot at the end of the month.
