8th-Dec-2018

I marked Man Of Plenty down as a horse to follow after his run to finish fourth behind Champ and Le Musee in the two-and-a-half-mile handicap hurdle at Newbury on Saturday.  I didn’t think that he would be running today, and I was hoping that his next run would be over two and a half miles, but it is still worth backing him today at the price.

Sophie Leech’s horse ran really well at Newbury on Saturday.  He did well to get as close as he did, coming from the rear in a race in which the first three all raced handily.  The first two home were obviously well handicapped horses, and Man Of Plenty almost caught the talented Speedo Boy for third place.

The ground was testing yesterday at Sandown, and that should bring Man Of Plenty’s stamina over two miles into play.  And he was run well at Sandown in the past.  He finished fifth in the Imperial Cup last March, racing off an effective mark of 126.  He is back down to a mark of 123 today and, while there are horses in the race who have more potential for progression than he has, that is a mark off which he could win a competitive handicap like this one, now that we know he is in good form.  He could be an under-rated horse.

Apple’s Shakira is obviously the exciting one, and it is understandable that she is favourite, but a mark of 142 for her handicap debut is no better than fair.

I’m A Game Changer is interesting back over hurdles after a brief foray over fences, but Man Of Plenty is the bet.

MAN OF PLENTY WON (ADV 10/1, SP 8/1)