Hall Can Earn His Oats

The second contest at Cartmel looks easily the most competitive on the card, with no less than 7 of the 13 runners having hit the frame last time. It’s currently a 4-way go at the head of the market, with Another Trump a slightly surprising favourite at the current time. The 9-y-o certainly hails from a yard in hot form, but most of the recent winners from the O’Neill yard have been unexposed sorts, and Another Trump has got plenty of mileage on his clock.

A winner at Huntingdon in October, he’s rather lost his way since, which isn’t always a worry for runners from this yard, but he bled from the nose when running poorly on his return, and once a horse starts breaking blood vessels, it’s hard to be confident as to what they can deliver on the track.

Nez Rouge is another with physical problems, which has seen him race only 15 times, despite being well into the veteran stage. He’s staged a mini-revival on his last 2 starts over hurdles, but often cuts out quickly in his races, and Cartmel is no place for a weak finisher with its protracted run in.

King Mak has claims if taking to headgear, but there’s always a worry that blinkers will cause him to race too freely in front, and he’s not the heartiest in a battle, despite pulling victory from the jaws of defeat at Market Rasen last summer.

That leaves Executive’s Hall of the quartet at the head of the market, and he looks absolutely rock solid, for all he was beaten in a selling hurdle over C&D 2 starts back. That was a very competitive race for the grade, and he fared best of those held up. With a strong pace looking likely, he should get the run of things, and looks a banker to hit the frame at least.

At bigger odds, I was also intrigued by the claims of the unexposed The Mongolian.   The daughter of Presenting hails from a family that Martin Todhunter knows well, as she’s related to the redoubtable Better Times Ahead, who was the last winner saddled by the much-missed Gordon W Richards, for whom Todhunter acted as travelling head man. When Todhunter set up on his own, Better Times Ahead’s owner/breeder Ted Briggs was one of his earliest supporters, and The Mongolian has been brought on in a way which would certainly please “The Gaffer”, with no serious questions being asked of her in qualifying runs. An opening mark of 82 doesn’t look very harsh on bare form, and she’s bred to do much better in time, so looks one to be interested in now handicapping, particularly now taking a further step up in trip.

In the 15:55, Alba King is a strong favourite having won with something to spare at Southwell last time, but that was a weak race in truth, and his overall record suggests he’s not at all certain to back that form up. His strength in the betting does at least make Soul Magic look a backable price, and this course specialist is worth a bet at current odds. A 5-time winner from 8 starts over C&D, he can be forgiven a rare poor effort last time, when heavy ground wasn’t ideal. He actually travelled well enough for most of the race to suggest he was in good form before the tacky conditions proved his undoing. Expect a better showing on going with good in the description today.

Recommendations:

All at Cartmel

Back Executives Hall @ [6.8] & The Mongolian @ [29.0] in the 14:45   

Back Soul Magic @ [5.1] in the 15:55