Will Allmankind's stamina last beyond two miles in Grade 2 test?

Jordan Electrics Ltd Future Champion Novices' Chase (Grade 2) | 2m4½f | ITV/RTV

There's only one winner of this race judged purely on ability and that's Allmankind, but racing is never as simple as that and there are two questions he must answer in this Grade 2.

The first and most obvious is: can he repeat his standout two-mile form over an extra half a mile? His free-going nature casts doubts, but there is certainly encouragement on pedigree.

Allmankind is a half-brother to 2m4f hurdle winner Beach Break and 2m5f Flat scorer Wemyss Point. His sire, Sea The Moon, also gets plenty of stayers and is a stamina influence.

The second question is: can he repeat his standout two-mile form at the end of a long season?

This is probably the big one and it’s hard to answer. However, one thing we can look at is the record of all Dan Skelton-trained runners who competed at Ayr in April within 40 days of running at Cheltenham and that reveals he has had two winners from ten qualifying runners.

There is evidently encouragement on both scores and he is 11lb clear on Racing Post Ratings.

Tamaroc Du Mathan (Harry Cobden) produces a spectacular leapCredit: Edward Whitaker

Should Allmankind underperform, Tamaroc Du Mathan is likely to prove the biggest danger. His trainer Paul Nicholls has saddled three winners from ten runners in this race since 2011.

The one thing we know about Tamaroc Du Mathan is that he definitely stays this far and, if stamina does become an issue for Allmankind, Tamaroc Du Mathan looks likely to cash in.

Like Allmankind, Tamaroc Du Mathan’s only chase defeat was at the hands of the top-class Shishkin and he got half a length closer. However, it probably isn’t wise to take that literally because Allmankind weakened badly at Cheltenham after going off too fast.

Malystic has the same chance as Tamaroc Du Mathan on RPRs but has questions to answer regarding his stamina, while Whoshotthesheriff completes the line-up but has plenty to find.
Race analysis by Graeme Rodway

What they say:

Dan Skelton, trainer of Allmankind
I don't think two and a half miles will be an issue as he just keeps on galloping. He's got to go and prove it and you don't know that until we've gone and done it, but he's such a great horse and a lot of fun for everybody involved. I'm really looking forward to getting him out here and trying it.

Paul Nicholls, trainer of Tamaroc Du Mathan
We've waited for this race and there are four nice horses in it. It looks the perfect race for my fella and Allmankind is the one to beat on ratings but we're fresh, which is a big plus.

Peter Niven, trainer of Malystic
He's not run for a while and two and a half miles is a bit of a doubt but he seems very well and I hope he won't disgrace himself.
Reporting by David Carr

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