Eyecatchers for My Stable tracker from the Christmas horse racing

James lurking on dangerous mark

James Du Berlais made his debut for Willie Mullins in the 2021 Champion Hurdle, finishing ninth, and then took second in the Champion Stayers Hurdle at Punchestown, finishing nine lengths behind Klassical Dream.

Understandably expectations were high for the French import's novice chase season but it never really took off after a debut success although James Du Berlais' four subsequent starts were all in Grade One company and saw him finish sixth, sixth, fourth and third without ever threatening.

His reappearance at Thurles was no more than satisfactory but the switch to handicapping for the Paddy Power Chase at Leopardstown on the 27th saw the seven-year-old run a far more promising race. Sporting a first time tongue tie, James Du Berlais was prominent throughout and only weakened late in the piece.

The handicapper has a reasonable handle on him but James Du Berlais can win a similar contest, perhaps over shorter, from around his current mark and could take higher rank if connections are able to recapture his youthful promise.

Cromwell project taking shape

A strong Leopardstown meeting got under way on St Stephen's Day with the TRI Equestrian Maiden Hurdle won by the well backed No Flies On Him. Back in fifth was hurdling newcomer I Am Lorenzo who shaped with obvious promise on his first start for Gavin Cromwell.

From a good jumping family, the €120,000 purchase is a half-brother to the useful Shearer who has shown his best form over three miles and certainly looks to have inherited his share of stamina in the bloodlines.

I Am Lorenzo gave a few of his hurdles plenty of air and will need to sharpen up his hurdling to win a similar contest but he came home strongly after the last and seems certain to benefit from the experience and a step up in trip.

Whether he's good enough to win a maiden or will be seen to better effect once handicapping remains to be seen but he certainly has the necessary gears to progress through the ranks.

Brassil pair well worth noting

A little over half an hour later James's Gate made his debut for Martin Brassil.

Backed from 20/1 to 8/1 ahead of his hurdling bow, James's Gate couldn't quite match his market support although may well have been placed if he had jumped the last. Good enough to finish third behind Facile Vega in the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham in 2021, this was only his second start since and suggests that he's retained his ability.

He's unlikely to go under the radar given that high-profile bumper form but there's a chance that stablemate Ose Partir just might. A promising second in a Galway contest that hasn't worked out particularly well, the French Flat winner failed to build on that in a Grade Three at Fairyhouse at the start of December when racing far too keenly (Galway winner Kaleosun was fifth) and tailing off.

It was no surprise, therefore, that Ose Partir was sent off at 80/1 - as was Kaleosun - for the Grade Two Mercedes-Benz South Dublin Juvenile Hurdle and there was nothing particularly remarkable about his eighth placed finish, beating four home including Kaleosun.

However, this was a retrieval mission after his antics at Fairyhouse and rates a positive performance as Ose Partir settled nicely in rear for JJ Slevin and I liked the way he put his head down and ran on between horses in the closing stages.

He's not in the same class as the principals but there should be plenty of upside to him once handicapping as he's learning on the job and a stronger pace and bigger field are expected to help show Ose Partir in a better light assuming that he continues to drop the bit.

Method in our madness

It was a little disconcerting to see Illogical Logic weaken as quickly as he did from the second last at Ascot's Christmas meeting but the five-year-old showed up well prior to that in the Ascot Racecourse Supports Schools Photography Competition Novices' Handicap Hurdle.

It was a lean December for trainer Christian Williams with no winners on the board - although he did saddle a couple of seconds on the 27th - so his yard's form is a possible reason for the weak finish while the trip may also have stretched him with conditions testing.

This was modest fare and Illogical Logic's form to date is only modest but that's reflected in his handicap mark and there was enough in this run to think that he is up to winning races, perhaps when sent chasing (two runs in points) given Williams' better strike rate in that discipline.

A handicap success should also be a formality for the highly-tried Masaccio who was by no means disgraced despite finishing last in the Challow Novices' Hurdle.

It appears to have been a fairly strong renewal of the two and a half mile Grade One and Masaccio was well in touch before being outpaced by the principals in the closing stages. A win from Beat The Bat and a nose defeat to Jingko Blue is form that reads perfectly well and resulted in a handicap rating of 129; it's hard to see that mark being revised upwards after the Challow and is a rating that should allow Masaccio to be very competitive if connections opt to switch the promising six-year-old to handicaps.

Positive spin put on Dance effort

Handicaps and a stiffer test should also show Sea Invasion in a better light after Chris Gordon's charge stayed on into fourth in the two mile maiden hurdle at Kempton on Boxing Day.

The race was won by Court In The Act who was also the victor on Sea Invasion's sole run in a bumper. The latter has since contested contests at Cheltenham and Newbury, won by Cannock Park and Jeriko Du Reponet respectively, and predictably cut little ice. This was easier but represented a step in the right direction nonetheless.

I doubt he'll be missed with those high-profile names in his form but Royale Dance may have gone under the radar.

She was only fifth in the mares' handicap hurdle that opened Aintree's card and beaten 25 lengths but a positive spin can be put on the performance. Royale Dance was making her debut for Noel Williams and her first start since March.

Nibbled at in the market, she was held-up in rear and given plenty of daylight for much of the contest but got caught flat-footed / outpaced when the race began to develop on the second circuit. Encouragingly she put her head down and made up plenty of ground in the straight to finish on the heels of the fourth in a race where two of the first three home were prominent throughout.

Williams has spoken in the past of the enjoyment he gets from training fillies and mares and he's enjoyed some notable successes with them. Royale Dance hasn't pulled up any trees to date but this was a fair start for her new yard; she's relatively lightly raced, has yet to race beyond two miles five (half-sister to a three mile winner) and dead-heated in her sole start in an Irish point-to-point offering hope that she will take to chasing as and when asked to.

She raced off 110 in Liverpool so is at the right end of the handicap and can be placed to advantage.

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