Today we head to Cheltenham with two runners, Il Va De Soi and Balhambar.
First up is Il Va De Soi in the Conditional Jockey’s Handicap Hurdle at 1.10pm. This race has been the target since the spring. I’ve been exceedingly happy with his preparation; I think physically he’s done very nicely over the summer, he looks absolutely great. This is a very competitive race for it’s grade in my opinion, I would also be more confident if the ground was softer than this but he has been trained specifically for this race, Alice gets on with him very well and I’d like to think he’s still improving.
Next is Balhambar who runs in the Handicap Hurdle at 4pm. Again since the spring this race has been the target for him. His last run over hurdles reads very well behind Pickanumber who subsequently won the Swinton Hurdle. He had a prep run on the flat three weeks ago just to put him spot on for this, I think he’s improved for that run. We’ve reached for first time cheek pieces over hurdles which I think will just help him travel over the first mile and if he gets a good smooth run round then I think he can run very well.