1.40 Huntingdon: the one contest you do not want to miss on Tuesday

1.40 Huntingdon
Integral UK Michaelmas Handicap Hurdle | Class 3 | 3yo+ | RTV

Why is it interesting?

Heavy rain may have wreaked havoc in parts of Britain recently but Huntingdon has not been as severely affected, meaning good ground is on offer for this valuable handicap hurdle.

A competitive field of 14 has been declared, including joint-topweight Sofia's Rock, one of two runners for Dan Skelton. Formerly with Mark Johnston, Sofia's Rock was able to win off 94 on the Flat, and has quickly progressed for Skelton with two hurdle wins and a fifth in the Swinton Hurdle at Haydock two starts ago.

Brandon Castle has thrived since joining Neil King, winning three in a row at Plumpton before tackling the Supreme Novices' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, while Get Back Get Back remains capable of better after two starts for Harry Fry having been with Clive Cox.

Another intriguing contender is Kobrouk for Nicky Henderson. Twice a runner-up at Grade 1 level over fences in France as a four-year-old, the now eight-year-old made his debut for Henderson at this year's Grand National meeting after a 700-day absence, and is back in action after another break during which he underwent wind surgery.

What do the stats say?

Tom Lacey-trained hurdlers are worth noting at the track. Lacey has a 45 per cent strike-rate (five from 11) over the last five seasons and is one from one so far this term. He runs the exciting Sebastopol, who has gone up 10lb after an easy success at Wincanton last month.

Lucky Lover Boy is a course and distance winner, and trainer Oliver Greenall is another who does well at the course with an overall strike-rate of 24 per cent (five from 21) for the last five seasons.

What do the trainers say?

Tom Symonds, trainer of Song For Someone
I'd be hopeful more than confident. I think he would be ideally suited by a stiffer track. I'd like to think he's not badly handicapped but we'll see.

Neil King, trainer of Brandon Castle
We wanted to go to Wincanton with him last Saturday but he just had a touch of colic. He's been right as rain since, and looks really well after his break. This looks a nice contest to start his season.

Brandon Castle (centre): won three times at Plumpton last seasonCredit: Alan Crowhurst (Getty Images)

Oliver Greenall, trainer of Lucky Lover Boy
He's in good form and has come on from the run at Wetherby. The flat track will suit he just needs to step up a bit which I think he can do.

Emma Lavelle, trainer of Highly Prized
Even though it's the best ground we're going to be able to find, I'm slightly concerned whether it will be quick enough for him. Ben [Jones] takes a valuable 5lb off and he's a horse I think runs best when fresh so he's had a nice break between races.

Harry Fry, trainer of Get Back Get Back
He's had two runs at the course and needs to step up on what he's done so far. He sneaks in at the bottom of the weights and hopefully a more strongly run race will suit him.

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