With Storm Ciaran set to hit the UK and Ireland, we give you two selections to lift the spirits ahead of some very wet weather…
In the 2m Class 4 Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal 2023 Fillies' Juvenile Hurdle at Fakenham, the experience of Majestic Jameela could prove key. She has raced three times over hurdles and carries no winners' penalty, despite going close on each of those number of occasions.
The three-year-old appears to be learning with each of her outings and she caught the eye when second at Cartmel back in late August. The daughter of Postponed followed up with a third behind the re-opposing Grain Of Hope (who carries a seven pound penalty) at Ludlow, where she had been making headway prior to an awkward jump at the last flight. Her main problem has been a lack of fluency over hurdles in the closing stages and if those issues have been ironed out by the team at trainer Stuart Edmunds, she appears capable of reversing the form.
SELECTION – MAJESTIC JAMEELA – 11/4
Unusually, all of the five runners in the 2m½f Class 4 Great Ryburgh Novices' Handicap Chase at Fakenham appear to have a good chance and we have sided with En Avant at 9/2. The gelding seemed to appreciate the change of scene when racking up two hurdle wins after moving to Olly Murphy's yard, before disappointing in a higher grade novice handicap hurdle at Worcester.
He can make jumping errors (unseated in June at Bangor), but produced a clean round on his chasing debut at Tipperary last year when fifth over a 2m3f trip. Although the gelding's form probably does not read better than some of the more-fancied runners, it seems worth taking the risk based on the marked improvement shown since switching to the Murphy yard, who have had two winners in the past fortnight.
SELECTION – EN AVANT – 9/2