It’s a busy weekend with some exciting runners from the yard to look forward to and hopefully we can add to our total of four winners for the year and at least get a bit more prize money back to Devon.
Stable star MASTER CARPENTER needed his return when fourth in the Doncaster Mile and he steps back up to ten furlongs as he contests the Group 3 Gordon Richard Stakes at Sandown tomorrow (1:50 on Channel 4). Of course it’s a competitive race and once again he takes on Western Hymn (twice third to him as a three-year-old) as well as five other established Group performers. He will be ridden patiently and hopefully he can pick up some more prize money to add to the £223,000 he has already won in his successful career.
At the Esher venue we also have HANDYTALK in the five furlong sprint (3:30). The gelding was a very useful two-year-old before coming down with pleurisy and we were really pleased with his comeback second at Windsor when he would have needed the run and the near heavy ground probably wasn’t ideal. He drops back to five furlong and it does not look to be the most competitive of Class 2 sprints and he should not be too far away.
CHAMPAGNE CHAMP is a huge stamp of a horse and by Champs Elysees, he is only going to improve with time and experience and it was great to get two wins over twelve furlongs in very soft ground. He has done well over the winter and steps up to two miles for the first time tomorrow at Doncaster (3:20) which should be ideal as all he does is stay. He will enjoy the rain softened ground and has done plenty over the winter so we are hopeful that he won’t be too far away but looks set for a good season.
Impressive Windsor winner SIR RODERIC returns at Haydock (3:55) on Saturday in a Class 5 mile handicap. Although he has gone up 7lb, he won that race prettily cosily and he stays in the same grade so we are very hopeful of a big run. He is versatile as regards to ground but any rain that falls won’t be detrimental to his chances. There are a lot of lightly raced horses in opposition, including those that won in maiden company but he has race fitness on his side and he will be hard to beat.