Tony McFadden of Timeform provides an overview of the key things to note for Sunday’s racing.
Three points of interest
Christian Williams aiming for further success at Perth
It’s a long way from Christian Williams’ yard in South Wales to Perth and prior to this season the trainer had sent only six runners to the Scottish course.
The track is much clearer on the radar now, however, as Williams had four runners at Perth’s only meeting in June and also had four representatives at the most recent fixture last week.
One winner from June’s team and another two last week has taken Williams’ overall record at Perth to five winners from 14 runners and he will be hoping to enhance that on Sunday as he has three live chances, with the strongest claims arguably held by course-and-distance winner Fever Dream in the three-mile handicap hurdle (16:15).
The lightly raced Fever Dream had finished clear of the third when chasing home a subsequent winner on his return at Fakenham in March and, following a short break and another step up in trip, he confirmed that promise to get off the mark here last month. Fever Dream scored with plenty in hand and remains completely unexposed as a stayer, so he could still be ahead of the handicapper even after a 12 lb rise in the weights.
Williams is also represented by a couple of runners who earned the Timeform Horse In Focus Flag last time. Tonto Foley (14:45) shaped better than the distance beaten would suggest at Newton Abbot, while Cap du Nord (15:45) travelled well when third over this course and distance last month.
Note the record of the Skeltons at Stratford
Since the start of 2019 no trainer has sent out more winners at Stratford than Dan Skelton and, perhaps unsurprisingly given that fact, no jockey has ridden more winners than Harry Skelton at the course.
The brothers have combined for 26 wins during that time and those victories have come at an impressive strike rate of 31.33% which compares favourably to an overall strike rate of 21.48% in that time.
They are set to team up four times on Sunday, with one of the most interesting runners coming in the shape of Absolutely Fine (16:30) in the penultimate handicap. He hasn’t shown much so far but has been given a breathing operation ahead of his first start since March, while this marked step up in trip also offers reason to expect a much-improved performance on his handicap debut.
Significant stable switch for Arthalot
Arthalot‘s form figures don’t offer much encouragement for his chances in the concluding handicap hurdle at Stratford (17:00). However, he’s joined Robbie Llewellyn from the retired Victor Dartnall since last seen and his new trainer has made such a promising start to his career that the switch has generated the Timeform Trainer Uplift Flag.
Llewellyn had five winners during the 2022/23 campaign, with four of them provided by Loup de Maulde who improved more than two stone, but last season he increased that tally to 25. Those 25 winners came at an impressive strike rate of 23% and produced a healthy level-stake profit of £41.88.
Llewellyn’s two runners this month have both won, highlighting that the team is in good order at present, and any market support for Arthalot on his first start for ten weeks would be worth noting. He’s been disappointing recently but was a fair handicapper on the Flat at one point so is potentially well treated if his promising new trainer has managed to rejuvenate him.
Tip of the Day
Everyday Champagne – 15:45 Perth
Flags: Horse In Focus, Horses For Courses, Top-Rated
Everyday Champagne initially failed to kick on after making a winning start for Nick Alexander at Ayr last year, but he bounced back to form when runner-up at Kelso in May, seemingly appreciating the return to a sounder surface and the application of more positive tactics. Everyday Champagne was also ridden from the front over this course and distance last time but he was taken on by the reopposing Half Shot a fair way out which possibly softened him up a touch. Everyday Champagne stuck to his task well, comfortably seeing things out better than Half Shot who faded into fourth, but he was picked off by a more patiently ridden rival and had to settle for second. That effort underlined Everyday Champagne’s wellbeing and effectiveness over this course and distance, and he still looks fairly treated following a 5 lb rise in the weights.
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