2:10 Leicester – Eclair Mag
ECLAIR MAG wasn’t prolific when he was trained in France, but he won his fair share for Emmanuel Clayeux and having won his UK debut at Market Rasen, at a Tote return of £61.30 we might add, he looked to be a promising recruit for Richard Bandey.
He finished 2nd on his next start at Carlisle and the handicapper moved him up to a mark of 131, which was probably a slight overreaction, especially when we consider his French form. He has taken his time to come down but is now back to a mark of 122, just 1lb higher than for that Market Rasen win. This will be his first run in Class 4 company, and he should find this much easier than when he finished 7th in the Surrey National at Lingfield last time where he struggled to get on terms despite running his race.
The track at Leicester should suit him and with the yard operating at a 33% strike rate, he looks to have been found a good opportunity.
4:30 Leicester – Hotel Du Nord
This isn’t the deepest Hunters Chase and if there is a horse with potential for more improvement in this field of 6 then it looks to be HOTEL DU NORD.
He had some decent form when trained as a Novice hurdler in Ireland by Jessica Harrington, including when a 9-length 4th to Tornado Flyer in December 2018. He won his debut for this yard under Charlie Sprake in December 2020 at Wadebridge and ended last season finishing 4th at Cheltenham in April. He made a perfectly reasonable comeback when 2nd to Famous Clermont in an Intermediate Point at Buckfastleigh in January.
He was only beaten by 2-lengths and that was his first run since April last year, so he would be entitled to come on for it, which makes him of definite interest in this field.
