John Ingles provides an overview of the key things to note on Sunday.
Perth specialist Statuario can win there again
Champion jockey Sean Bowen no doubt looks forward to his trips up to Perth, the track where he has ridden more winners (84) than anywhere else over the last five seasons, doing so at a terrific 33% strike rate. He has particularly good reason to eagerly await his rides there on Sunday as he’s back aboard eleven-year-old chaser Statuario in the handicap over just short of three miles (15:51). Statuario has a tremendous record at Perth for the Bowen family, firstly for father Peter and more recently for Sean’s brother Mickey who has the ‘Hot Trainer’ flag.
Having the ‘Horses For Courses’ flag, all three of Statuario’s wins in 2025/26 came over today’s course and distance, the last of those coming at the Perth Festival in April where he forced a dead heat to land his seventh course win. That was a remarkable result for the Bowens because on that occasion Statuario was ridden by brother James while Sean partnered the other dead-heater American Mike for Gordon Elliott!
Sean was back in the saddle again for Statuario’s latest run at Perth in the Perth Gold Cup early last month in a bid to win that class 2 contest for the third year running. He couldn’t do so but ran creditably in fourth behind Dan Skelton’s smart winner Riskintheground. Dropped a pound by the handicap for that run, Statuario is giving weight to lesser rivals this time and is fancied to add to his fine Perth record.
Person very much of Interest under his penalty
Training from Sir Tony McCoy’s yard in Lambourn only since the spring of last year, Faye Bramley quickly made her mark when sending out ten winners last jumps season, chief among them being the victory of Glengouly, recruited from Willie Mullins, in the December Gold Cup at Cheltenham. The stable already has four winners on the board over jumps this season, the most recent being Person of Interest at Uttoxeter last week, and he looks capable of following up under a penalty in the handicap chase at Stratford over just short of two and a half miles (16:10).
Person of Interest is another Irish acquisition for Glengouly’s owners The Cheeky Pups, having previously been with Shark Hanlon for whom he won at Downpatrick last summer. After a run over hurdles on his first start for his new yard, Person of Interest was the subject of a gamble when switched back to fences at Uttoxeter last week under Harry Cobden.
While he didn’t let his supporters down, Person of Interest shaped as though the two-mile trip was barely enough of a test as he stayed on late, earning the ‘Horse In Focus’ flag. The return to further therefore looks sure to suit Person of Interest who remains well treated on the pick of his Irish form and, heading the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings, he’s capable of defying his big weight with Cobden on board again.
Significant trainer change for Lucky In Taipan?
After being pulled up once and finishing last in his three other starts in maiden hurdles last season, at odds of between 40/1 and 300/1, on the face of it Lucky In Taipan looks a good candidate to be the first one to cross out in assessing the conditional jockeys’ handicap hurdle at Perth (17:01).
But Lucky In Taipan was with Droitwich trainer Max Young last season whose last winners over jumps came in the 2023/24 campaign, whereas he returns from his last run last September having joined the powerful yard of Ben Pauling, earning him the ‘Trainer Uplift’ flag.
Lucky In Taipan’s hurdles efforts naturally get him a basement mark for his new stable to work with, and while he isn’t worth a Timeform rating over hurdles, he does have the ‘large P’ symbol indicating that he could be capable of significantly better. After all, Lucky In Taipan has shown in the past that he’s not devoid of ability. While he didn’t go the right way in bumpers for Fergal O’Brien, he did start off with a third place at Worcester, and if his new yard has found the key to him, he’s clearly of interest on his handicap debut.
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