Off The Jury will relish stepping up to three miles at Wincanton on Thursday
January 14
We are hoping that the step up to three miles might help Liz Prowting’s Geturguccion shake off a frustrating bout of second-itis and gain her first success in tomorrow’s finale at Newbury, but win or lose we are just relieved that Jack Frost has finally disappeared as we have a fistful of solid chances through the week.
Thursday sees I’d Go Maniac and Off The Jury both heading off to Wincanton, while newcomer And She Was is an interesting debutante in the fillies bumper at Ludlow.
Armchair viewers were quick to blame owner-rider David Maxwell for the long odds-on defeat of Off the Jury at Doncaster month, but Alan is having none of that.
He said:”I think Off The Jury just bumped into a decent horse of Lucy Wadham’s in Jax Junior, and our own stable jockey, Tom Cannon, who rode the winner, agrees with me.
“I could see turning for home that Off the Jury was going to struggle to reel in the enterprisingly-ridden Jax Junior, and he beat us fair and square. We could never live with the pace being set up front, but a step up in trip at Wincanton will hopefully suit us better.”
Alan was disappointed with I’d Go Maniac’s hurdling debut at Wetherby in November, but the six-year-old had looked good when winning his bumper at Market Rasen, so Alan is hoping that he’ll get back on track in the maiden hurdle.
Finally, And She Was makes her racecourse debut in the fillies junior bumper at Ludlow. Named after the popular Talking Heads song, And She Was, who runs for the successful Nick Brown syndicate, is looking forward to seeing how the filly shapes as she is well-bred, being by Linda’s Lad, who was a G1 winner on the Flat in France and went on to be a high-class middle-distance performer over the next two seasons.
Furthermore, the dam, the Aga Khan’s Samandara herself proved smart on the track in France before going on to produce seven winners, including the classy Warriors Tale, whose seven victories included the Grand Sefton Chase over the big Aintree fences.
