Shanty Alley

Shanty Alley ran a big race to finish second to Grumpy Charley in the Mandarin Chase at Newbury on New Year’s Eve. Prominent from early, up on the outside of the leader Laskalin, he travelled well through his race for Conor O’Farrell, and he moved nicely up on the outside of the leader as they rounded the home turn. Laskalin picked up at that point, but Shanty Alley went with him easily, and they quickly established a break on the rest of the field. He moved into the lead on the run to the fourth last fence, but he got in tight to that obstacle, which allowed Laskalin back up on his inside. He got the better of that rival at the second last fence, by which time Grumpy Charley emerged as his only challenger on the near side. He couldn’t repel that challenge, but he kept on well all the way to the line, going down by just three parts of a length in the end, with five and a half lengths back to Laskalin in third.

This was Shany Alley’s 16th chase, but he is in the form of his life at present. Winner of two staying novice handicap chases two seasons ago, Ben Case’s horse failed to complete in three runs last season, but a wind operation at the end of last season appears to have rejuvenated him. The handicapper raised him by 4lb for his Mandarin Chase run, which was fair, it takes him up to a mark of 129, still 3lb lower than his peak. He will be of interest now in another good staying handicap chase. The Sky Bet Chase at the end of this month at Doncaster, a track at which he won impressively as a novice, would be an interesting target for him now.
Newbury, 31^st December 2022