Lungo’s Bajan is no Bandit
Having his first outing over fences since being pulled up in the 2003 Royal & SunAlliance Chase, The Bajan Bandit destroyed a decent field to score over three miles and one furlong at Ayr five weeks ago.
He came through to lead four out and eventually scored by 14 lengths despite being eased down on the run-in.
Sonnengold makes most appeal in the Peter J Douglas Engineering Novices' Hurdle over an extended two miles and four furlongs.
A multiple soft ground winner on the Flat in Germany, she was making her debut for Lucy Wadham over hurdles when second in a two-mile contest on heavy going at Leicester in January.
The five-year-old clearly learned plenty from that experience when winning over just half a furlong further on similar testing ground at Lingfield four weeks ago.
Tucked in behind the leading group travelling strongly that day, it was only a matter of how far the winning margin would be when she burst clear after the third-last flight, the answer being an extremely comfortable seven lengths.
It has to be said that the opposition was only modest on that occasion, but today's longer trip is likely to prompt further improvement and she could be capable of completing a double.
Excellent all-weather action can be found at Lingfield, where the Group Three betdirect.co.uk Winter Derby tops the bill and gives Arturius a chance to complete a polytrack hat-trick.
A course and distance handicap winner off a mark of 88 in mid-February, he easily defied an increase of 5lb to score over 12 furlongs at Wolverhampton just over a fortnight ago, romping home by four lengths in the style of a colt who will be capable of holding his own in Group company.
Regarded as being far from the finished article, Arturius is fancied to make substantial further progress and reward support.
Peter Monteith has a sound record at Kelso and could have the answer in the toteexacta Handicap Chase on Sunday in the guise of Shares.
The six-year-old first hit the target in a hurdle race over two miles and a furlong in March 2004 and subsequently performed with credit without managing to add to his tally.
The gelding was switched to chasing in December and produced a sound effort, running on in determined style to score by just under two lengths after pulling hard throughout the race.
He then produced an excellent effort to finish a short-head second to the progressive Armaguedon over two miles at Newcastle but got no further than the sixth fence back at Ayr last month. That was the first time he has been on the deck in 14 starts over obstacles, so there is no reason to believe he will not stay on his feet and return to winning ways.
