Saint Ciel looks the one to be on in the St Modwen Hurdle at Uttoxeter today. Frank Jordan's veteran is something of a Haydock specialist and the 11-ear-old got off the mark for the campaign at the Merseyside track last Saturday, beating Symonds Inn by five lengths.
That was the gelding's eighth victory over timber at Haydock but Saint Ciel also has winning form at Uttoxeter, scoring there three times. He gets no penalty for his Haydock victory as it was a conditional jockeys' event and could be well-handicapped now he has returned to form. He will revel in the soft conditions and can land the nap in the day's Showcase handicap. Dorans Gold looked potentially useful when winning at Aintree in November and can follow up in the EBF 'National Hunt' Novices' Hurdle. Second in a Sandown bumper on his only start last season, the Henrietta Knight-trained gelding defeated Calhoun by half a length at Liverpool on his reappearance.
He is likely to improve both for that experience and for the step up to an extended two and a half miles and should prove difficult to beat. Arctic Camper looks set to make a winning debut over fences in the Mac Vidi Novices' Chase at Folkestone. The seven-year-old was a very useful novice hurdler last term, winning at Cheltenham and Fontwell and finishing sixth behind Barton in the Royal & SunAlliance Hurdle at the Festival in March.
Trainer Venetia Williams is a dab hand at getting her runners fit to win first time out and can prove that here.
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