20th-Nov-2021

I am adding Dans Le Vent to our bet on Stoney Mountain in the Betfair Exchange Stayers’ Handicap Hurdle …

Formerly trained by Stoney Mountain’s trainer Jamie Snowden, Dans Le Vent put up his best performance for Evan Williams on his final run last season, when he finished second to Tronador in a two-and-a-half-mile handicap hurdle at Aintree’s Grand National meeting in April.  The winner skipped clear on the run-in that day, but Dans Le Vent stayed on well down the outside to take second place, leaving the impression that he would benefit from a step back up in trip.  He did finish second in a handicap hurdle over three miles at Doncaster in February 2019.

He started off this season, though, over two miles at Ffos Las last month when, again, he raced as if he would benefit from going further.  That was a good race, with the first and fourth both quietly fancied for the Greatwood Hurdle last Sunday, and the third, Leoncavallo, running a big race to finish second to Soaring Glory in a listed contest at Ascot next time.

Dans Le Vent should progress from that, his seasonal debut, and he should improve for a step up in trip.  He has never run at Haydock, but he has run big races at Aintree, Ffos Las and Doncaster, all relatively flat left-handed tracks, like Haydock.

DANS LE VENT WON (ADV 14/1, SP 16/1)

STONEY MOUNTAIN 4TH