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Can Pleasant Man upset his rivals?
Max McNeill won the Adonis Juvenile Hurdle (13:50 Kempton) last season with Tritonic and he will be hoping to strike again on Saturday with Pleasant Man, who he owns in partnership with Patrick and Scott Bryceland.
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Trainer Paul Nicholls is throwing Pleasant Man into the deep end, asking him to contest a Grade 2 on his first start over hurdles, but he is a fascinating recruit to jumps racing having shown useful form on the Flat before fetching 175,000 guineas at the Tattersalls Horses In Training Sale in October.
Pleasant Man won two handicaps for Roger Charlton last year, including over a mile and three-quarters at Salisbury which suggests stamina won’t hold him back over hurdles. It’s worth noting that Nicholls has won this with Zarkandar (2011) and Zubayr (2016) who were making their debut over hurdles, while Paso Doble was third last year on his first start over jumps.
Is Nicholls’ Pic perfect for Pendil?
Nicholls has won the Adonis on five occasions but he has an even better record in the Pendil Novices’ Chase (14:25), which he has won a remarkable 11 times this century. His last two winners, Cyrname (2018) and Tamaroc du Mathan (2021), carried the colours of Johnny and Samantha de la Hey and the owners are represented this time around by Pic d’Orhy, who heads Timeform’s weight-adjusted ratings.
Pic d’Orhy was disappointing when a distant third in the Grade 1 Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase three weeks ago, but he clearly wasn’t at his best and reportedly suffered a breathing issue. The fact he is being turned out relatively quickly suggests he’s been pleasing Nicholls at home, and the form he showed when winning the Noel Novices’ Chase at Ascot on his previous start looks the best on offer.
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Track to suit Shallwehaveonemore
Shallwehaveonemore made an impressive debut in a Kempton bumper last year and the return to this flat, speed-favouring track in the Dovecote Novices’ Hurdle (15:00) will suit this free-going sort. Shallwehaveonemore pulled notably hard on his first couple of starts over hurdles, but he still showed promise when runner-up in an Ascot novice and when fourth in the Grade 1 Tolworth Novices’ Hurdle at Sandown.
He was presented with a straightforward opportunity at Sandown last time but got the job done in impressive style, looking well suited by being allowed to stride on rather than pulling hard under restraint. His speed will be an asset on decent ground around this relatively sharp course and he gives the impression that he still has a bigger effort in his locker.
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