Two of Carole's Legacy's giant offspring head into action at Chepstow

Carole’s Legacy, the dual Listed winner who went within a whisker of Cheltenham Festival glory in 2011, has not one but two chances to enhance her record as a broodmare at Chepstow on Friday.

Homebred by Paul Murphy and a half-brother to the voluminous Manifesto Novices’ Chase scorer Mad Max, Carole’s Legacy was beaten by Bensalem in a thrilling finish to what is now known as the Ultima in 2011.

It was her penultimate start, as she later filled the same position behind Nacarat in the Grade 1 Bowl at Aintree, having also been runner-up to Quevega in the previous year’s David Nicholson Mares' Hurdle.

Mercian Knight, by Saint Des Saints, is the first of her foals to have raced and was off the mark at the third attempt at Doncaster in mid-December.

He takes on the dual Becher Chase winner Walk In The Mill in the Chepstow Trade Centre Novices' Hurdle while his year-younger half-brother by Shirocco, Carole’s Templer, makes his racecourse bow two hours later in the .

Both are trained by Murphy’s daughter Amy who said: "It’s completely by chance but the conditions looked right for them.

"Carole’s Legacy is a big mare and she’s certainly putting her size into them, they’re both 17-hand giants.

"It’s going to be very tough for Mercian Knight with a penalty against a horse rated 140, so it’s just another stage of the learning process for him.

"Carole’s Templer is maybe a slightly speedier type but his brother was beaten out of sight in a bumper and hasn’t been out of the first two over hurdles, so it’s just the first step for him, too."

Read The Lowdown from 8.30am daily on racingpost.com and the Racing Post app for all the day's going updates, news and tips