Take flight with Sabre
Howard Johnson’s six-year-old mare suggested she was blessed with stamina in abundance when ploughing through soft ground at Wetherby just under three weeks ago, leaving her rivals toiling in her wake as she came home 11 lengths clear.
With equally testing conditions forecast, Sabreflight is fancied to relish the step up to an extended two miles and five furlongs and defy her inevitable penalty.
Nicky Richards is maintaining a healthy strike-rate this season and Letitia’s Loss is fancied to enhance that already impressive statistic by taking the Weatherby’s Insurance Handicap Hurdle over a gruelling three miles and three furlongs.
Having her first outing since winning off a 3lb lower mark at Wetherby in November 2004, she made an encouraging return to action over an inadequate trip at Ayr three weeks ago, finishing fourth behind Birdwatch.
Those exertions will not have been wasted on her, so Letitia’s Loss is fancied to strip much fitter and make a bold bid to emulate her success over the same course and distance back in December 2003.
At Leicester, the gg.com Novices’ Hurdle gives Brumous a chance to build on his debut success over timber.
That came at Folkestone in December, over two miles six furlongs, and he scored with plenty to spare.
In what had appeared to be a competitive maiden event that would throw up a number of future winners, Brumous jumped like an old hand and picked up well on the run-in to score by a comfortable seven lengths.
How much he had in reserve remains to be seen, but there is every reason to believe the gelding does have more to offer.
On the all-weather at Southwell, Sierra looks more than capable of landing the hat-trick in the Betdirect.co.uk Banded Stakes over a mile.
The top weight secured her first ever win over the course and distance earlier this month, and duly followed up with a gutsy length success in a seven furlong banded contest.
