John Ingles provides an overview of the key things to note on Wednesday.
Three points of interest
Perth double for ‘double green’?
Perth’s three-day festival gets underway on Wednesday and it could be a good start to the meeting for owners Simon Munir and Isaac Souede who have good chances with a couple of members of their Irish string.
First of those is Kevin’s Pride who heads the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings in the opening maiden hurdle (13:48). He was an impressive winner of a bumper at Kilbeggan on his debut last summer and has since found one too good in all three of his starts over hurdles, including when returning from a break at Limerick earlier this month.
Kevin’s Pride’s trainer John McConnell has had his last five winners (Flat and jumps) this month at English or Scottish tracks and is no stranger to success at Perth either. Meanwhile, Willie Mullins will be keen to take advantage of some good prize money on offer at the meeting and his best chance of trying to close the gap on Dan Skelton in the trainers’ title race on the first day of the Perth Festival looks to be with Munir and Souede’s Fun Fun Fun in the listed Fair Maid of Perth Mares’ Chase (15:18).
Fun Fun Fun has taken well to fences, winning two of her three starts and finishing fourth to subsequent Arkle runner-up Only By Night at Exeter in between. She resumed her progress when making the running for an easy win in a Grade 3 novice at Limerick last time against male rivals and should be hard to beat back against her own sex on these terms where she heads the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings.
Useful novices seeking compensation for Aintree Grade 1 defeats
The other listed event on the card is the Gold Castle ‘National Hunt’ Novices’ Hurdle (14:48) which looks a cracking edition of the three-mile contest. Plenty of the 14-strong field have shown useful form and several of them are dropping down in grade after contesting top novice contests at either Cheltenham or Aintree.
Among them is Horaces Pearl who lost his unbeaten record for Fergal O’Brien when sent off at 4/1 for the Mersey Novices’ Hurdle last time. He was let down by his jumping in finishing fifth behind Honesty Policy but had won the Grade 2 bumper at the same meeting last season and made a good start to his hurdling career with wins at Huntingdon and Newbury. He could bounce back trying this trip for the first time.
Mister Meggit made a good start in bumpers too last season for the O’Neill stable, though was a long way behind Horaces Pearl in the Grade 2 at Aintree. He’s had just the two runs over hurdles this term at the same track, creating an excellent impression when winning in November and then shaping like the best horse after a five-month break in the Sefton Novices’ earlier this month. Mister Meggit looked like justifying strong support when cruising to the front in the straight only to make a bad mistake at the last before winding up only fourth behind Julius des Pictons. That earned Mister Meggit the ‘Horse In Focus’ flag and he remains an exciting prospect, heading the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings here.
Another successful Perth Festival on cards for Olly Murphy
Olly Murphy had six winners over the three days of last year’s Perth Festival and he sends another strong team north for this year’s meeting with leading contenders in each of the last four races on Wednesday’s card. That gives champion jockey-elect Sean Bowen the prospect of another couple of winners on Vocito in the two-mile handicap chase (15:48) and Little Miss Dante in the mares’ handicap hurdle (16:22).
However, Mr James King also has prospects of a double for the Murphy yard as the amateur jockeys’ handicap hurdle has been split and King has good chances in both divisions. In the first division (17:00), King partners progressive six-year-old Henrysbrotherjack who earned the ‘Horse In Focus’ flag for his decisive win at Bangor in February where he did well considering the pace didn’t pick up until approaching the straight. He can follow up from a 6 lb higher mark.
Interestingly, all the stable’s runners seem to have been kept fresh for this meeting and King’s mount in division two (17:32), Happy Index, has her first start since December. She ended 2024 in top form, just failing to complete a hat-trick at Taunton after successes at Perth and Market Rasen in what is her first season for the yard. If picking up where she left off, she may well be able to add to her tally.
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