Brendan Powell: ‘I’d say he goes there with a really solid chance’
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Brendan Powell: “I’d say he goes there with a really solid chance.”
This is my first time riding Klitschko, but I seem to remember he had quite a big reputation after winning his bumper in impressive style a few years ago, so I’m looking forward to getting on him.
He ran well enough when third on his handicap debut at Lingfield back in November, and that was his first run since February, so hopefully he should be able to step forward from that. The handicapper has dropped him 2lb for that run as well, so although it looks a competitive little race, I’d say he goes there with a really solid chance off a mark of 118.
Diamond Ri is a horse we’ve always thought plenty of, and he won his bumper at Warwick back in the spring very easily. He finished second to a nice horse of Paul Nicholls’ at Exeter on his first run over hurdles last time, but his jumping just let him down that day. He’s done plenty of schooling at home since, and he’s been much better, so hopefully he can translate that to the track this weekend.
He’s a big imposing horse, and I think he has plenty of ability, so providing he jumps better than at Exeter, then he’d have to go there tomorrow with a big chance.
The Big Breakaway has his first run over hurdles for a few years, and hopefully it will help him regain his confidence, as he’s really struggled over fences of late. He was never travelling in the Welsh National last time, which was very frustrating given how well he’d ran in the race the year before.
I’m not 100% sure what to expect from him here back over hurdles, but it would be great if he can get his mojo back and show a bit more of that spark we know he has, and if he does that, then there’s no reason why he can’t get competitive.
This really is a good race with Broadway Boy, Apple Away and Grey Dawning in there, but I do have plenty of time for our horse here. He’s a lovely horse, and I thought he took to chasing really well when second to Stay Away Fay at Exeter, and that horse has certainly franked that form since.
He just made a small mistake last time, and I probably fell off him when I shouldn’t have done, but these things happen. I think he’s a horse with loads of ability, so although he will need to improve to match the form that some of the others have shown, it wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest if he manages to do just that.
He ran really nicely at Exeter on his debut last time considering he hadn’t been away for a racecourse gallop or anything, and I thought he shaped with plenty of promise that day.
This looks a hot race, but I think he’ll have learnt plenty from that initial outing, and providing he does step forward from it, then it wouldn’t surprise me at all if he ran a big race.
Brendan
