Taglietelle

Taglietelle put up a good performance to finish third in the Pertemps qualifier at Musselburgh last Sunday.

Weak in the market beforehand on the newly rain-softened ground, Gordon Elliott’s horse was held up in rear through the early stages of the race. He made nice progress around the home turn, and moved up easily on the outside early in the home straight, but a bad mistake at the third last flight halted his forward momentum. Moved back towards the inside after that, he was only eighth of the 10 runners jumping the second last, but he stayed on well from there over the last and up the run-in to take third place behind Cup Final and Warriors Tale.

Taglietelle has been mixing it in top company this winter. He finished third in the Grade 2 Lismullen Hurdle at Navan in early November, beaten just four lengths by Arctic Fire and Monksland, giving the pair of them 3lb, and he ran well in the Hatton’s Grace Hurdle at Fairyhouse in November, he finished just six and a half lengths behind the same Arctic Fire off level weights. He was well beaten in the Long Walk Hurdle, but that was on very soft ground.

He should be seen to better effect now as the ground gets better in the spring. He is a spring horse. His record in March and April under all codes reads 1451341. He ran a cracker to finish fourth in the Coral Cup at Cheltenham last year, beaten a total of a length, and he followed up by winning the three-mile handicap hurdle at Aintree. His official mark now is only 5lb higher now than he was for that win, and he will be of interest again at Cheltenham and Aintree.

7^th February 2016