Horses to Follow

Ian Ogg pick out a quintet of horses from the weekend's action to add to your Notebooks.

De Plotting Shed

There's no doubt that fourth was a disappointing result in the Neptune Investment Management Championship Standard Open NH Flat Race at Ascot on Friday given that he was sent off the 6/4 favourite. However, the way that the five-year-old rallied in the closing stages pointed to a horse already in need of a stiffer test of stamina. Gordon Elliott had described him as a two and a half to three mile horse who would be sent hurdling sooner rather than later following his victory at Fairyhouse and that will surely be the case now following this defeat in what is usually a strong Listed race. De Plotting Shed fell when sent off as favourite on his sole start between the flags but this half-brother to A Hare Breath has the size and scope to develop into a chaser in a couple of year's time but should make his mark over hurdles before then. His defeat of a Willie Mullins' hotpot prior to this run suggests that he's not short of ability and he can prove that granted a proper test over obstacles in the coming weeks and months.

Doitforthevillage

In-running comments don't do justice to the promise shown by Paul Henderson's six-year-old in the Foundation Developments Ltd Novices' Handicap Hurdle, the opening race at Ascot on Saturday. This is only modest handicap form but the son of Turtle Island did more than enough to suggest that he can make his mark at the right level this winter. Held-up in rear on his handicap debut, the six-year-old had latched onto the leading group with four hurdles still to jump and travelling better than many. He moved up into the top eight but made mistakes at both of those flights and started to struggle as soon as the principals stepped on the gas before the turn for home and then weakened right out. A 65 length defeat in eleventh (of 15) clearly doesn't look great on paper but the way he moved into the race bodes better for his future. He looks more than capable of picking up a small handicap, perhaps back in trip or on a better surface for although the official going was good to soft, it appeared to be quite hard work for a number of the runners. It's worth noting that Henderson has a significantly better strike rate with his chasers rather than hurdlers and it wouldn't be a surprise if this Irish point winner were switched to the larger obstacles sooner rather than later. 

Galizzi

It paid to be prominent in the Ladbroke with dead-heaters Sternrubin making all and Jolly's Cracked It racing prominently so Galizzi was certainly well placed if good enough. John Ferguson ran three horses and this four-year-old was the chosen mount of Aidan Coleman despite the jockey holding reservations about the ground and the conditions did appear to be his undoing. He was more or less in third place when making a slight mistake at the second last but weakened fairly quickly thereafter to finish in eleventh, some 16 lengths off the winners. He lasted a good deal better than many more fancied horses, however, and that bodes well for his chances back on a sounder surface. He has improved on each start prior to this since being fitted with a tongue strap and finished a good second to A Hare Breath at Cheltenham prior to this which saw his mark raised to 133. Whether the handicapper drops him for this run remains to be seen but it would be no surprise to see him given a break while the ground is at its worst in the winter months and he should be able to resume his progression once conditions have dried up in the spring and this smart Flat performer certainly has the ability to rate higher still.

Kalondra

Trained by Neil Mulholland, this four-year-old was a close third behind Baden in an Irish point and the well-regarded winner has already shown promise under Rules for Nicky Henderson. Kalondra hasn't hit the same heights since moving to Britain but he has shown ability on his last two starts in particular and should make his mark once sent handicapping. A faller at Southwell in a fair race on his hurdling debut, he improved on that when runner-up to a previous winner at Bangor and again shaped well at Fakenham on Sunday in the Independent Racecourses Ltd Maiden Hurdle. He was anchored in rear and raced a shade keenly in a race where the first two home were more or less first and second throughout and was still in fifth place as they straightened up for home. He kept on reasonably well to take fourth in a bunched finish which should ensure that the handicapper can't get carried away with this performance and he will hopefully get a mark around 120 or lower. That should provide this £65,000 purchase with plenty of scope for progress and I'd expect him to be able to rise through the handicap ranks providing that he settles better than he did on this occasion which shouldn't be a problem granted a stronger pace. 

The Young Master

There was a thrilling finish to the Sodexo Silver Cup at Ascot on Saturday with Wakanda battling on gamely to deny Virak and Fingal Bay with The Young Master rallying to take fourth from the weakening Pendra. The latter looks well worth another chance on a surface which places less emphasis on stamina while there was also plenty of encouragement to be taken from the run of Salubrious on his third start over fences and first in a handicap and it will be a surprise if the form of this race doesn't work out. The Young Master was running from a 6lb lower mark than when winning the race as a five-year-old in 2014 when he had that season's Hennessy second Houblon Des Obeaux in second and Sound Investment in fifth. The latter has made rapid progress over shorter trips since then and there should still be more to come from Neil Mulholland's chaser who got no further than the first in the Hennessy. He had jumped left when winning this race last year and did edge that way on occasion while he also didn't give his fences an awful lot of air but his fencing was, on the whole, pretty good. He was always close enough but got a little outpaced and was staying on after the last in a manner that suggests trips beyond three miles will be his forte. However, he could remain at that distance for his next start with Mulholland pinpointing the Sky Bet Chase at Doncaster as a possible target and it's easy to envisage him being suited by the demands of that test and, indeed, the Grimthorpe Chase over two furlongs further back at Town Moor the following month. Wherever he ends up, this second season chaser will command plenty of respect.