'He's up to justifying that mark' - Might I out to give Fry back-to-back wins

Sunday: 2.30 Lingfield
Sovereign Handicap Hurdle | 2m | 4yo+ | SKY

The first six in this race last year were trained by Harry Fry (Metier, winner of the November Handicap on the Flat), Nigel Twiston-Davies, Emmet Mullins, Paul Nicholls, Dan Skelton and Gary Moore. They are the trainers you would expect to attract when offering a 2m handicap hurdle with a big pot and four of them are represented again here.

The most conspicuous name missing from that list would arguably be Venetia Williams, who has targeted two at the race. Both are fairly recent French recruits, with Djelo having won his sole start in France in November 2021 and had some joy already in British handicaps.

Martator ran 13 times in France, but on two of them he placed in Grade 1 hurdles for four-year-olds. The assumption from the early betting is he has less scope to improve. That is true in terms of overall runs, but he is less exposed for Williams having looked in need of the run on his belated debut at Sandown last month.

Like each of the top three at the weights, Martator will be ridden by a claimer, while stable jockey Charlie Deutsch is aboard Djelo. Angus Cheleda is arguably Hacker Des Places' main rider, as he has been on for most of his hurdles runs including when fourth in this and third in the Imperial Cup last season.

It looks more of a conscious decision to put Lorcan Murtagh on Might I, as usual rider Sean Bowen is riding in other races on the Lingfield card. Might I represents last year's winning trainer Harry Fry and was sent off favourite for a top handicap at Haydock last time. The 3m trip that day seemed to stretch him, but on his previous start he was second in a Grade 1 novice hurdle and before that he placed behind Jonbon on the equivalent weekend in 2022.

Plenty of these appear to have been aimed at the race. Few seem to be as laser-targeted as Might I, whose profile tracks fairly closely with Metier's at this time last season.
Race analysis by Keith Melrose

Festival handicap aim for Might I

Might I mixed it with Constitution Hill and Jonbon during his novice hurdle campaign and is likely to follow that pair to the Cheltenham Festival after bidding to give Harry Fry back-to-back wins in this race.

The seven-year-old followed his close third behind Jonbon at Haydock in January by finishing second to Three Stripe Life in the Grade 1 Mersey Novices' Hurdle at Aintree. He finished down the field in a 3m½f handicap hurdle on his seasonal reappearance and drops back to two miles on only his second start in handicap company.

"We’re dropping him right down in trip," said Fry. "He was too exuberant and didn’t give himself any chance of seeing out the trip at Haydock but with the likely conditions at Lingfield on Sunday, they’re going to have to stay two miles and some.

"He has some good novice hurdle form from last season. He’ll have top weight and off a mark of 142 he’s going to have to be at his best but I think he's up to justifying that and running extremely well.

"We’ve been building him up to this race and as we’ve got nearer, we’ve been more pleased with him, which is always nice as you feel you’re going into the race on an upward curve."

Might I is reunited with 3lb claimer Lorcan Murtagh for the first time since finishing second to Constitution Hill at Sandown in 2021.

"We've put Lorcan on board, not just because we are top weight but because we're thinking we might run in the Martin Pipe at the Cheltenham Festival on his next start," Fry said.

"However, if he does win and wins well, then that takes the Martin Pipe out of the equation and something like the Coral Cup would come into play, which would be a nice position to be in. We're hopeful he'll go on to be competitive in one of the festival handicaps."

What they say

Venetia Williams, trainer of Martator and Djelo
It's a decent prize and Djelo has run well this season. I hope he can be competitive. Martator is a bit keen at the moment and we're hoping he settles more.

Dan Skelton, trainer of Playful Saint and Knickerbockerglory
Both have a chance. We're coming back over hurdles for this with Knickerbockerglory because it's worth so much money and he's not inconvenienced by the ground at all. Playful Saint has looked progressive on this type of ground.

Gary Moore, trainer of Teddy Blue
He's come out of his Newbury run well. He has a good weight and if he handles the ground – we don't know what's it going to be – he should have every chance.
Reporting by Harry Wilson

Sign up to receive On The Nose, our essential daily newsletter, from the Racing Post. Your unmissable morning feed, direct to your email inbox every morning.