Soaring Glory

30th-Oct-2021

I am backing Soaring Glory and Leoncavallo here.

The case for Soaring Glory is solid.  He was a progressive young hurdler last season, he finished third in the Kennel Gate Hurdle at Ascot in December, before going to Newbury in February and winning the Betfair Hurdle off a mark of 133.  He was well fancied for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle on the back of that run, and he wasn’t disgraced there in finishing fourth behind Appreciate It.

He is 10lb higher now that he was for his Betfair Hurdle win, but he is only six and he has raced just six times over hurdles, so he has the potential to go beyond his current mark of 143.  And we know that he goes well at Ascot.  As well as his good run in the Kennel Gate Hurdle, he won a bumper there two years ago.

Leoncavallo is more exposed, he is nine now, but he is at least fairly handicapped now on a mark of 139.  He was a classy hurdler in his younger days, he finished third in the Galway Hurdle in 2018, and he proved that he retained lots of ability when he finished third in the Welsh Champion Hurdle last time at Ffos Las.

That was his first run back since he ran on the flat at Sandown in June, and he proved there that he was well up to a mark of 139.  If he can come forward just a little from that run on this, his second run back after a break, then that would take him into this.  And on his only run at Ascot, he ran well to finish fourth behind Not So Sleepy in a good handicap hurdle in 2019, giving the winner 21lb on ground that was softer than ideal.

SOARING GLORY WON (ADV 5/1, SP 5/1)

LEONCAVALLO 2ND (ADV 11/1, SP 10/1)