Sceau Royal made a winning return to action at Cheltenham to leave our columnist eagerly-anticipating a Sandown showdown with Altior next.
It was lovely to see Sceau Royal come back and win the Shloer Chase at Cheltenham on Sunday. I thought he was very good. His jumping was as slick as it’s ever been and he felt really, really good through the race.
The ground was ideal for him and it was nice to get him back on a racecourse fit and well. He showed plenty of enthusiasm and I can’t wait for the Tingle Creek at Sandown now.
It’s going to be very exciting and if, as I expect, my fellow comes on a little bit for the weekend run I can see him giving Altior at least something to think about at a track where he was so impressive in last season’s Henry VIII Novices’ Chase.
Callet Mad ran a blinder to finish fifth behind Rock The Kasbah in the BetVictor.com Handicap Chase. He got me into the race at the right time coming down the hill but didn’t quite have the stamina to reel them in after turning for home. I was very proud of him and I’m sure there’s a good pot to be won with the horse this season.
I was delighted with Cracker Factor who chased home Quel Destin in the JCB Triumph Trial. He was rated 138 coming into it and cemented that mark, travelling well and just getting beaten by an improving Paull Nicholls horse. My fellow is on the upgrade and likes good ground.
I thought Le Breuil was going to win the Steel Plate And Sections on Friday when Count Meribel made such a bad mistake two out, all credit to Mark Grant for sitting on him. This still represented a big step up from my horse following his Huntingdon win and he’s a very exciting novice chaser.
A Hare Breath travelled and jumped very well in the BetVictor Handjcap Chase but probably wants two-and-a-half miles nowadays. We’ll step him up to that next time and he showed plenty of enthusiasm and felt in really good form.
GET THE FULL PICTURE: Don't miss out on FREE video replays and our fantastic My Stable tracker. Log in now and become a Sporting Life Insider.
Related horse racing links
