Runners for the high-profile stables of Nicky Henderson (photographed) and Dan Skelton, an intriguing French raider and three mounts for champion jockey Sean Bowen are among the things to lookout for when Chepstow races tomorrow (Tuesday 27th January).
The course has not held a meeting since the Coral Welsh Grand National in December but opens its doors again with the first of seven races due off at 1pm. Gates open at 11.30am and the feature race, a 2m novice chase, is at 2.37pm. Worth £15,000, it features Stencil, a gelding trained by Noel George and Amanda Zetterholm just to the north of Paris.
He races in the familiar silks of leading owner JP McManus but will not have things all his own way as the opposition includes Palacio, a course-and-distance winner for Sam Thomas and the Evan Williams-trained Juby Ball, who has won four of his six starts. He fell last time but is a well-regarded individual and the same applies to Misterdoc, who represents Skelton in the juvenile hurdle (1.30pm).
Formerly trained in France, the grey meets Henderson inmate Thewoodcorner, who shaped with some encouragement at Sandown last month. However, Rebecca Curtis has claims of winning that with Berkshire Smudge, who will be partnered by the aforementioned Bowen. The jockey rode 180 winners last season and moved on to 181 for the current campaign when Gwennie May Star struck at Warwick on Friday.
He also teams up at Chepstow with Curtis in the handicap hurdle (2.02pm), in which he will ride Slim Marvel, while he is on Dangerous Touch for Olly Murphy in the 2m7½f handicap chase at 3.47pm. That horse has gone a year without winning but produced a respectable effort at Ayr last time and could easily be in the mix. His rivals include The Big Reveal, who is trained locally by Grace Harris and was on the mark at Lingfield in November.
Harris was without a winner last week, but her Monmouthshire counterpart Robert Stephens was smiling thanks to Knight Templar.
A likeable type, the gelding had been running over hurdle!
