25 March 2008 Ledbury - Maisemore Park
Goblet of Fire: one to savour in the Ladies' Open
Eleven meetings are scheduled for next weekend but none of them comes close to matching the 298 entries received for Sunday's Ledbury fixture at Maisemore Park.
New Clerk of the Course Mark Wilesmith has had a baptism of fire after last week's heavy rain, but these obstacles were quickly overcome and Maisemore should be able to cope with the large influx of runners.
Several of the potential runners for the Members had outings over the Easter period including Earl of Buckingham, Father Tom and Powers and Soda.
Julie Houldey's horses are running well at present so Dicks Dream is sure to give a good account of himself in this contest but Olivier may hold the upper hand. Twyning owner Stan Warner will be keen to win this race and, judging by his horse's performance at Bangor a few weeks ago, the Andy Hobbs trained runner is capable of doing so.
The two divisions of the 2 mile 6 furlong Maiden have 34 entries in each half and with a safety factor of 16 they may have to be split again on the day. That remark also applies to the Men's Open (44 entries) and the Restricted (53 entries) - both have a safety factor of 20.
Wilesmith will have to rely on his wife Claudia to saddle Raleagh House in Division I of the Maiden and there is a case to be made for the Upton- on-Severn trained gelding claiming the prize.
Kim Smyly and David Maxwell are due a change of luck but Iphar has already had several chances and while he is not yet in the last chance saloon his supporters will soon run out of patience with him.
Inch Royal is another horse who is proving expensive to follow, but with the opposition looking moderate this provides him with a winning opportunity.
The Ladies Open could see the reappearance of Twenty Degrees who ran as well as expected in the Cheltenham Foxhunters. This could be a race to savour with Goblet of Fire and Balinova as potential rivals.
Twenty Degrees is also engaged in the Men's Open and this could be another exciting contest if Why Connie turns up. Julie Houldey has been toying with the idea of running the Halls gelding because he would not have to carry a penalty for his recent Hunter Chase success.
Prolific winner Lough Ennel features among the entries for this race but he may find easier opportunities down in the Principality, while Noakarad de Verzee needs to run a good race to maintain his high profile.
Cottage River has side-stepped several engagements in recent weeks but will be supported if he meets his engagement in the Restricted where he could come up against All Thyne Greats who is also progressing in the right direction.
Miss Houldey has her recent impressive Siddington winner Bowdens Lane entered for the Intermediate and he must go close with a similar performance, but he has it all to do against Fertile Valley, who has yet to recapture the form shown in 2006, and Alison Dare's dual winner Emmet Hotel.
Alexander Musical has a couple of placed efforts to his credit this season but whether he can improve on those to take Division I of the 3-mile maiden remains to be seen.
