15:05
Ascot
Odds correct as of 11:53am 28th Mar
Ascot hosts a competitive card on Sunday and the feature £40,000 juvenile handicap hurdle has attracted the interest of shrewd Irish trainer Charles Byrnes. It’s always worth keeping an eye out for his runners, especially when the money comes, and the horse in question leads the market at the time of writing. We’ve taken a closer look at his chances of coming out on top and assessed the main dangers. Take a look at our free tips page for daily content across British and Irish racing.
Munsif was a three-time winner on the Flat for Roger Varian and he only had six starts in that sphere. He was a smooth winner on debut at Nottingham in April 2025 and he also followed up with an even more impressive performance at Pontefract after that, despite carrying a penalty.
The son of Sea The Stars also managed to win a handicap over 1m4f at Doncaster on his penultimate start on the Flat, which means he now has now earned a rating of 93. Very keen in the early stages on that occasion, he did well to win under the circumstances.
This four-year-old has had four starts over hurdles since making the switch to Byrnes and has finished third three times. Coming closest to winning on his hurdling debut at Leopardstown over Christmas, he was less than three lengths behind winner Hardy Stuff on that occasion.
Nicky Henderson’s Macshadow Des Crai finished second to Senator last time out and is 3lb better off with that rival on this occasion. Both Harry Derham’s Gallivanted and the Paul Nicholls-trained Innamorato look like intriguing each-way options.
Switching to handicaps looks like a good idea and the gelding is entitled to progress. A mark of 126 perhaps isn’t the most generous but Sean Bowen has been booked for the ride and it’s likely that a lot of planning went into this intriguing raid.
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