After the excitement of British Champions Day, Racing TV will be broadcasting all the action from Kempton, Leopardstown and Limerick on Sunday. I have two selections at Kempton and another pair at Leopardstown.
2.10 Leopardstown: Cairo
This horse is lightly raced, having had just seven career starts, winning three of them, and he can take advantage of a drop in grade here.
He was tried on the dirt at Meydan earlier this year but wasn’t suited to the surface. He was seen to much better effect in May when finishing second to Paddington in the Irish 2000 Guineas. He boasts a Group Three win here as a two year old and the drop into Listed company should see him gain his second course success.
3.20 Leopardstown: Sprewell
It will be good to see this horse run well again in this Listed contest after being highly tried for much of the season.
He was fourth in the Derby, where he did not get a lot of luck in running, and then was badly hampered in the Irish Derby before being outclassed in the Irish Champion Stakes.
Sprewell is now back in shallower waters and his two career wins have come on heavy ground which he will get for the first time since he recorded his last success. This represents a great chance for him to get his career back on track.
3.30 Kempton: Corrigeen Rock
Lucinda Russell has her horses in tremendous form and seemingly has more strength in depth in her stable this year.
Corrigeen Rock made all to win at Perth in April and I am expecting more of the same here. This is a rare runner for the yard at this track and this improving chaser looks set to dominate this field.
His efforts last season included a win at Sandown, in a similar grade to this, and his profile is one of a horse who is improving with racing.
4.05 Kempton: Rubaud
This horse progressed throughout last season and his final two starts saw him winning the Dovecote, here at Kempton, and the Scottish Champion Hurdle at Ayr.
Both of those wins represented improved efforts and in part they came about with the fitting of a hood and a change in tactics to front-running.
There looks to be no pace signed on here, so he figures to get an easy lead and as such will be tough to peg back. Essentially, he is a horse with plenty of speed and he will take plenty of catching at this speed favouring track.