Race 2 at Craon today offers Cross-Country veteran Bomari an opportunity to return to winning ways having unseated when well-touted for the France Sire Prix Anjou-Loire Challenge last month. Arthur Nail claims 4kg but given the short turnaround and penalty, I’d rather side with something more progressive.
Step forward Bolid du Mathan. The eight-year-old is relatively lightly-raced for his age and impressed at Compiegne last time in a warm race for its type. He scored by nine lengths but it was his ability to race handily and quicken from a tightly bunched peloton that gives him an air of class, similar to what we have seen before from the likes of Prengarde and Easysland.
It was by no means a fluke as he ran out an impressive winner at Fontainebleau last year and also was in the process of disputing the win on his 2022 return to action when making an uncharacteristic hash of the final hurdle.
Gentilhomme is entitled to improve for that 9 length defeat last time but despite the 2kg swing in the weights, more is required and he’ll need to get used to racing more handily in these races.
The aforementioned Prengarde won the two races last year that our selection finished second and first in this spring. They appeared to be warm contests again this year, featuring Macaire’s fancied Grandgador, and so I am confident that Bolid du Mathan can get Royal Ascot week off to a great start for us.
11.20am Craon – 2pts win Bolide du Mathan @ 11/4 (all firms)
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