Incessant rain means quiet week-end on-track for Barbury

March 30

Alan was hoping to have a busy post-Cheltenham, but the dreadful wet weather that has been the feature of March this year has prompted him to take a softly-softly approach, and we’ll have just the one runner over jumps on Saturday.

Significantly, Alan, who has precious few horses who are in their element in soft ground, has given the green light for Betterforeveryone to take his chance in the three-mile hurdle at Uttoxeter. Alan said:””He was staying on well when he fell two out at Plumpton, and this track ought to suit him better. He has plenty of weight but I still think he could be competitive.”

We also have a couple of runners on the level, with Mistral Milly also heading up the M6 for the mares bumper. Alan added:”She ran well first time out at Ascot and deserves another race here before we put her away for her summer break.

“Finally, I’d put in a good word for Open Champion in the 0-85 handicap over 11 furlongs at Kempton. He disappointed me on his jumping debut at Market Rasen, where he was never travelling and eventually fell at the last.

“However, Open Champion won at Lingfield on the Polytrack surface for Roger Varian, and he works like a good horse, so we have decided to go back down the Flat route and return to hurdling in the autumn.”

Rossa Ryan has struck up a good relationship with Barbury, and, though he has twice recently finished second at Wolverhampton on Greystoke, he is hoping to make it third time lucky at Southwell on Friday. It will be the horse’s first visit to the track, but he stays well and ought to again be right there in the mix.