Ground upsets Princeton plans

Edward Harty saddles the JP McManus-owned Princeton Plains, who was last seen going down by a neck in a valuable handicap at Listowel in September in The Ladbroke, one of the most competitive handicap hurdles of the season at Ascot today.

Harty said of his six-year-old: “He’s got form on bad ground and he’s in good nick.

“We’ve had this race in mind for him for a long time, but mainly because we thought we’d get some decent ground for him. Unfortunately, that won’t be the case.

“He does go on the ground, but there is no doubt he’s better on a decent surface.”

Another of JP McManus’ runners is Jonjo O’Neill’s It’s A Gimme, the mount of Tony McCoy.

“The ground’s a worry, we don’t know if he’ll go on ground as soft as this, but it’s the same for all of them. It’s a competitive race but I couldn’t be happier with the horse,” said O’Neill.