DAILY RACING PREVIEW BY ANDY HOLDING
WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 10
1.05 HEREFORD
Not the strongest of maiden hurdles and it could well be within the compass of VOL ROYALE (best price 10-3) who shaped better than the bare result suggests at Chepstow last time out.
In what turned out to be a slowly run race at the Welsh venue, he was one of many who were travelling strongly turning for home and despite his 80-1 starting price, he was still in with a shout jumping two out.
However, he just didn’t have the necessary requirements to go with the main players from that juncture, but all the same, it was a run full of promise against several with high aspirations.
On the evidence of that display, it is easy to see why connections have opted to drop him back to the minimum trip and in a race that contains only a handful of major contenders, he might have enough ability to show his hand.
VOL ROYALE – 1-point win@10-3
2.05 HEREFORD
MAHLER MOON (best price 10-3) has had the misfortune to bump into two progressive young chasers on his most recent outings over today’s course but the experience he has gained from each defeat should stand him in good stead and he is fancied to make it third time lucky on his return to the Midland venue.
Fergal O’Brien’s inmate pushed subsequent winner, Noble Park, all the way on his first visit to the track a month ago and stepping up to 3m1f here last time, he had to play second fiddle again to the revitalised Buckna, who proved a totally different proposition on the first attempt over the trip.
Jumping-wise, the son of Mahler could be a little quicker through the air at times but he does have a way of negotiating the fences that clearly suits him and providing he can warm to his task sooner than he did here last time (took a circuit to get into a rhythm), the seven-year-old can take a hand in the final half a mile.
MAHLER MOON
4.45 DUNDALK
MARIONS GAL (best price 7-2) finally gained a deserved breakthrough success over today’s C&D last time out and the manner of her victory points towards the strong possibility of her going in again.
0-19 heading into her latest assignment, being drawn 14 of 14 made life even more tricky for Kevin Smith’s inmate but despite forced to race wide through the first part of the contest, she came through strongly in the latter stages to win going away.
Not only was it her most positive result, the speed figure she posted was also the best of her career and even though she has rather unfortunately gone and bagged the outside peg for the second time in a row, hopefully her talented young pilot can execute a similar ride to the one he achieved 21 days ago.
MARIONS GAL – 1-point win@7-2