I'd Like To Know out to boost Chris Gordon's superb track record - analysis and quotes for Plumpton's big race

Chris Gordon boasts an excellent record at Plumpton this season. After Sunday’s meeting he has sent out 15 winners from 49 runners for a strike-rate of 31 per cent. Punters who backed all of those runners to a £1 level stake would have made a profit of £37.08, and the stable’s I’d Like To Know is sure to prove popular.

This lightly raced seven-year-old competes off a career-high mark of 128 after slamming Real Stone by five and a half lengths on heavy ground at Newbury.

He appeared to have plenty in reserve that day, and connections believe he will prove just as effective on drier terrain.

Kotmask beat Scarface by a length and a quarter over course and distance on soft going in February.

Scarface is 3lb better off at the weights this time, and arrives on the back of beating Invincible Nao by half a length at Sandown. There could be more to come from him.

Stablemate Bourbali also looks open to further improvement over fences. He has shown a tendency to take a grip during some of his races, and Joe Tizzard has declared him in a first-time hood.

Huelgoat impressed when beating Enjoy Your Life by three lengths at Wincanton in November, but has subsequently disappointed in two starts on very deep ground. This return to a drier surface could spark a revival.

Black Gerry won this race off a 5lb higher mark 12 months ago. Little has gone right for him since, but it would be no surprise to see him bounce back.

Race analysis by Richard Birch

What they say

Gary Moore, trainer of Black Gerry and Kotmask
Black Gerry has been bang out of form all season and he fell at Huntingdon last time, so we didn't learn anything there. I hope back at Plumpton, where he won on his only start there, he might do a bit better. Kotmask was disappointing last time, but has also won at Plumpton. It's a valuable race and they deserve to be running in it.

Joe Tizzard, trainer of Bourbali and Scarface
Scarface is going there in really good nick and has run well around Plumpton before. The drying ground won't be too much of a hindrance for him, while it will definitely suit Bourbali, who is a consistent, little horse. We've had this race in mind for a while for him and it's something of a shame we have to run two against each other, but they've both got solid chances. There's not much between them, but Brendan [Powell, stable jockey] won on Scarface last time and it would have been a struggle for him to get off him.

Chris Gordon, trainer of I'd Like To Know
We've had this race in mind since he won at Newbury last time. The way that race was run didn't make me or the horse happy with an injection of pace sooner than ideal, but hopefully we don't have that. This race is over further, but he won over two and a half miles over hurdles and I'm looking forward to it as he seems in really good order. He went up 8lb for winning at Newbury and I can't cry too much about that. He's a lovely, big horse and it will be interesting to see how he fares against more experienced rivals. The ground will be okay, but the only thing might be that he's shown great form at Newbury, and this is a different, tighter track.
Reporting by James Burn 

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