Tuesday Talking Points: Matt Brocklebank previews the day's racing
Three considerations ahead of Tuesday's racing, including Gowiththeflow bidding to make it second time lucky over fences under Nico De Boinville.
1. Super chance for Zubayr?
Ian Williams has the unenviable task of training a horse formerly in the care of Alain De Royer-Dupre and Paul Nicholls but the versatile Zubayr looks a good fit for Williams, surely without question one of the best dual-purpose handlers in Britain. Zubayr, currently boasting ratings of 130 over hurdles and 86 on the Flat is not a straightforward character and he’s had issues with his breathing in the past but he looked to be getting back towards peak form on his third start since wind surgery – and just second outing for his new trainer – when third of 11 at Kempton on January 5. That was his first try over two miles on the level and he gets another shot under Kieran O’Neill in Newcastle’s Betway Live Casino Handicap. It’s a good prize and a strong enough field but Zubayr gets a stone from top weight Stargazer and he could be up to returning to winning ways.
2. Trip test for Aristo
The promising Billy Garritty has been flagged up here before and since then he’s come close to another winner when second on Night Of Glory at Haydock on Saturday. He’s back in action with one Tuesday ride as Aristo Du Plessis steps up in trip in a bid to get his career back on track in the feature at Kelso. James Ewart's nine-year-old, partnered for just the second time by 7lb conditional Garritty, faces six rivals in the £20,000 Belhaven Brewery Handicap Hurdle over two and a half miles. Langholm-based Ewart once gave Aristo Du Plessis a Champion Hurdle entry and he’s looking forward to the race: "We feel he is worth another try at going this far as horses can lose a bit of speed as they get older. He was tried in a couple of races at just short of this distance a few years ago but we'll see how he gets on this time. He's also had a go at chasing but it doesn't seem to be for him. He's very well handicapped on the pick of his form considering he's a horse that has had so many problems including a kissing spine." One rival of interest is Mahlervous, a disappointing favourite at Aintree in early December and trained at Upper Lambourn by Warren Greatrex who paid his first visit to Kelso recently. The Berkshire raider, appearing for the first time following wind surgery, carries the colours of The Marvellous Partnership, a syndicate that includes East Lothian owner Ray Green.
3. Go, Go, Go!
Ben Pauling will have been relieved to see stable star Global Citizen win so well at Haydock over the weekend, especially considering he effectively had a couple of weeks of shutdown around this time last season with a bug in the yard. The winners haven’t been coming thick and fast over the past few weeks but he looks poised for a good spring and sends a couple to Leicester on Tuesday, including Gowiththeflow in the Leicester Annual Badge Holders Novices' Handicap Chase. He's got an eye-catching victory over Paisley Park on his CV from last February and ran in the Ballymore where no match for Samcro and co. His sole subsequent outing was a pretty limp chasing debut when second of three at Doncaster in mid-December and he’ll need to have brushed up on his fencing in the interim. He and Garry Moore’s Larry, rated 135 and 137 respectively, could be on the cusp of qualification for the Close Brothers (0-145) at Cheltenham in March and both sets of connections will fancy their chances of beating the frustrating Forth Bridge. Nico De Boinville is 1-1 on Gowiththeflow and it looks significant that he makes the trip to Leicester, where he also partners Jen’s Boy and Burbank for Nicky Henderson.
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