HARRY SKELTON: Wetherby Friday

We’ve had a fantastic week so far with both Major Fortune and Catch Him Derry winning nicely in their respective races at Newton Abbot, The New Lion at Chepstow and then L’Eau Du Sud’s winning well on his reappearance and chase debut at Stratford, writes HARRY SKELTON.

We’ve got a host of exciting runners to look forward to over the next few days at Wetherby and Ascot. We’re going to arrive at Wetherby and have a proper walk of the track as there hasn’t been much rain there, so we want to make sure we’re doubly happy with the ground for a few of our runners, and we’ll do the same on Saturday.

FRIDAY

WETHERBY

KART D’ESTRUVAL – 12.45pm Wetherby

He had two nice runs over in France which were both really promising, winning on his second start. We’ve been doing a lot of work, and he seems a straightforward type so we’re liking what we’re seeing. This race looks a nice starting point for him and even with the penalty, he could be very competitive. He’s a nice one to look forward to for the rest of the season.

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WEST BALBOA – 1.15pm Wetherby

She now has a run under her belt, when jumping and travelling well at Worcester, where she just made a mistake at the last and lost her chance. We’re keen to get her back out and get some experience into this mare and I do think whatever she does this side of Christmas is a bonus as we’re really campaigning her for the spring where she usually comes into her own. We’re looking for a good run from her here.

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DENZIL – 2.25pm Wetherby

He got his career off to a great start winning at Stratford, but I’m not so sure what that form amounts to. This is a marked step up in class in what is a deeper race, so we’ll see how he fares. We’ve been happy with what he’s shown at home but there are a few in this race who have quite high ratings both on the Flat and over hurdles so he’ll need to show some improvement to be in with a chance.

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MIDNIGHT RIVER & HELTENHAM – 3.00pm Wetherby

We’ve done plenty of work with Midnight River at home, as much as we can without taking him out for a racecourse gallop. He’s been off the track since his run in the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury last year but is in great form, and the ground is the only worry. We think he’s capable of running really well and we’re excited to get him back out. He should hold every chance, despite carrying top-weight.

Heltenham also runs. He ended last season with a fall up at Ayr and we’ll be keeping an eye on the ground here to see if it suits. First of all, we want to see a nice clear round from him and once the ground softens up come the winter there’ll be plenty of options for him. He’s been schooling fine but he really likes some cut in the ground so we’ll probably be waiting until those conditions arrive to see him at his best.

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QUEENS VENTURE – 3.35pm Wetherby

She won her last two races quite nicely and comes here under a penalty after her win at Southwell. She should take a bit of beating as she came out of her last run just fine. Hopefully, she can still perform well and secure the hat-trick.

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GLOBAL ECLIPSE – 4.10pm Wetherby

He’s making his racecourse debut and, whatever he achieves, we’ll be hopeful of more to come further down the line. He’s got a good attitude and schools nicely so we’re looking forward to the rest of the season with him.

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