Betfair ambassador Gordon Elliott on his Saturday team

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12:00 Envious Editor

He has run two solid races over hurdles since coming to us and I think he is up to winning a maiden on what he showed at Listowel and Clonmel but I would imagine he will need to step up if he is to win a maiden hurdle such as this one. He has fitness and experience on his side which should help him to run well but I wouldn’t be surprised if he found a couple of these too strong.

12:30 Call Me Lyreen

Call Me Lyreen is a lovely horse who has done well in winning both his starts so far although the fact that he has done that makes him a little tricky to place and he is having to step into the deep end here. He is a horse of potential and I think he will be a lovely prospect this time next year but I’m not sure if he is ready for this yet. However, we don’t have many options outside of graded company for him at the moment. He is well and in good shape and I hope he will run well but he would prefer better ground.

14:12 Fantasio D’Alene

He was quite a decent bumper horse last season when he ran quite well in some smart contests after winning at Punchestown. Even at that stage he was more of a staying type so I’m expecting him to do better this season for the switch to hurdles and longer trips. He has schooled well at home and seems to be in good shape so I’d be hoping that he will give a good account of himself but he will improve for this run and I wouldn’t be surprised if his best form this season came over three miles.

14:47 Paranoid

He won a handicap hurdle for us in Galway last month and I thought he was going to follow up when we switched him to fences at Down Royal a few weeks later but he just didn’t seem to get home over three miles after travelling like a winner. This shorter trip should suit him well and if he runs to a level similar to what he showed at Down Royal he must have every chance.

15:22 Commander Of Fleet, Walkabout & Larquebuse

Commander Of Fleet was a very good novice hurdler a couple of seasons ago when he won at Grade 1 level and finished second in the Albert Bartlett at Cheltenham. He has been off for a good while as a result of a couple of injuries and is just ready to start back so whatever he does here he will improve on and in time he will enjoying moving up in trip. Hopefully he will run a solid race but he will do much better in time.

Walkabout has struggled on his two runs over fences so far. Even though he is not the biggest horse to go chasing with he is well able to jump but it just seems that he is inclined to lose confidence when he makes a mistake. He is up against it here but I’m keen to get more experience into him before he moves into handicaps which will represent his best chance of success over fences.

Larquebuse is a useful mare and the softer the ground the better for her. I’m hoping she will make up into a decent staying type over fences and that she will be a contender for some decent mares novice chases late in the season. Unfortunately, in terms of beginner’s chases, there are very few options for her beyond two miles in mares only company which is why she is running here. This looks a tough enough race and ideally she’s prefer further but I’m hoping she will run creditably and the experience she will pick up here will stand to her later in the season.