Inside The Notebook Week 9 – 24/01/2017

16/01/2017

• Bulfin Island – Shaped well at Plumpton on his first run for almost two years. His three novice hurdles have all been over two and a half miles with this ex three mile point to point winner shaping again as if a step up in trip would suit. Connections patience should be rewarded this Spring stepped up in trip now handicapping.

17/01/2017

• Lagavara – Has shaped with a degree of promise in all her three starts in novice company over hurdles. A mark of about 110 should be forthcoming on the back of them and with both her dam and her dam’s half sister three mile point to point winners, a step up in trip when handicapping should allow her to get her head in front.

18/01/2017

• Persistence – Well backed on her debut when taking on a filly who had already been placed twice, she ran a respectable 4th despite the penny taking a long time to drop. Her dam is a half sister to Group 2 winner Mikhail Glinka as well as 15f scorer, Chicago. A little further than this will suit in time but she’s in capable hands to go three better sooner rather than later.
• Brandon Hill – Landed us a tidy preview winner at Newbury, making all the running before having to dig deep on the run-in to hold off the heavily punted runner up. The others who raced prominently with him were well beaten off with the 2nd, 3rd and 4th coming from further back in the field. He is still lightly raced and may well go in again next time.

19/01/2017

• Fille Des Champs – Held up stepped up in trip was to her detriment at Ludlow as they went a steady pace, with the winner able to dictate her own fractions out in front. A stronger pace will suit her better next time with this three mile trip looking no problem. She still looks a progressive mare who can win off a similar mark to this.

20/01/2017

• Altiepix – Absolutely tanked through the contest at Chepstow, taking too much out of himself to hold on. He lost a shoe as well which wouldn’t have helped his cause. Kerry Lee does well with others cast offs and he looks well up to winning off this mark for the yard now that the freshness has been run out of him.
• Cool Mix – Full brother to a three mile point to point winner on soft ground, 2 miles on good at a track like Musselburgh was always going to prove on the sharp side. A promising 6th on his debut, he is likely to be well suited to a step up in trip once going over obstacles and is good hands to find the right races.

21/01/2017

• Cohesion – Won’t be easy for David Bridgwater to place off marks north of 100 but he shaped with considerable promise on his UK debut at Lingfield. Wins on good and heavy on the flat in France, he could well be an interesting one for conditions races in the short term.
• Blackwater Bridge – Always dangerous to have a Tony Martin eyecatcher but held up a long way back in a steadily run contest, he ran on well all the way to the line without really being put under maximum pressure. He isn’t the slickest jumper of a fence but it would be surprising if there is not a better performance in this horse.

22/01/2017

• Bassino – Has produced a pair of better efforts since being sent handicapping wearing a hood. He has a pair of half siblings who were winners on the dirt, his pedigree suggesting a go on the Fibresand at Southwell might be worth trying. His prominent racing style would be well suited to the track and he can pick up a class 6 handicap over a mile.