John Ingles provides an overview of the key things to note on Friday.
Kopek des Bordes form represented at Exeter
Kopek des Bordes is all the rage for next Tuesday’s Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham after his striking success at the Dublin Racing Festival where his rivals finished well strung out. Back in a remote third that day was a rare British raider at the meeting, Warren Greatrex’s Good And Clever, and he becomes the first horse from the Leopardstown race to turn out again.
Good And Clever emerged with plenty of credit in Ireland where he briefly gave chase to the winner before gradually getting left behind in the straight. Also third in another Grade 1 prior to that, the Formby at Aintree on Boxing Day, Good And Clever has his sights lowered considerably for the maiden hurdle at Exeter (14:40) where, not surprisingly, he stands out on form.
Greatrex has the ‘Hot Trainer’ flag and can complete a double on the card for owners Jim and Claire Limited with top weight Largy Force who will be more of a backable price in the handicap chase at 15:45. She too is still a maiden under Rules but has been placed in all her completed starts and for the second time this season found It’s Easy too strong at Leicester on her latest start when they were the only two finishers. Topping the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings, Largy Force can gain a deserved success for her in-form yard.
Christian Williams and Sam Twiston-Davies have double prospects at Leicester
Jack Tudor has a couple of rides for David Pipe at Exeter so Christian Williams, Tudor’s other main stable, turns to Sam Twiston-Davies to partner his two runners on Leicester’s all-chase card. Twiston-Davies has only ridden for Williams once before, finishing fifth on Cap du Nord in the 2022 bet365 Gold Cup Sandown when the stable had three runners in the race.
Williams is a rare visitor to Leicester with only four runners there in the last five seasons, none of whom were successful, but his pair on Friday’s card both have live chances starting with Fortunefavorsdbold who heads the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings in the handicap at 14:50. She won back-to-back mares’ chases at Huntingdon and Lingfield around this time last year and can get off the mark for the season after at least respectable placed efforts on her last three outings. Fortunefavorsdbold was runner-up to Mighty Moth at Lingfield last time and that rival has good prospects herself later on the card.
Williams’ other runner is You Say Nothing who can follow up a recent Lingfield victory in the two-mile handicap at 16:28. He belatedly capitalised on a tumbling mark when justifying good support on that occasion and still looks well treated on the pick of his form from a BHA mark of 89. He faces another small field here so should find it easy to adopt his usual tactics of making the running.
Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore back in action at Dundalk
A sure sign that the Flat season proper is just around the corner is that Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore have their first runner/ride respectively in Britain or Ireland this year at Dundalk this evening. Mount Kilimanjaro has to give weight to his five rivals in the mile conditions race for three-year-olds (20:00) but stands out on form after some useful efforts in France on his last couple of starts at two.
After running in what turned out to be a couple of hot maidens earlier in the year, Mount Kilimanjaro got off the mark in a valuable sales race at Longchamp on Arc weekend when showing a good attitude stepping up to a mile for the first time. He improved again later in October upped to Group 1 company when chasing home stablemate Twain in the Criterium International at Saint-Cloud after being forced to switch off the rail when the winner came across him, the pair finishing clear.
The French-bred son of Siyouni could be back in the land of his birth later this year as O’Brien nominated the Prix du Jockey Club as a possible target after his run at Saint-Cloud and this looks a good opportunity to get his three-year-old campaign off to a winning start.
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