Venetia Williams targets third win in £80,000 chase with long-absent Cepage

2.05 Aintree
Virgin Bet Handicap Chase | Class 2 | 2m4f | ITV4/RTV

Venetia Williams is seeking a third win in the £80,000 Merseyside feature in the past ten years with Cepage, who must defy both topweight and a near 11-month absence if he is to collect.

On the plus side, the seven-year-old goes well fresh as he showed when chasing home the prolific Frodon in the Grade 3 Caspian Caviar Gold Cup when last seen at Cheltenham last December.

Prior to that effort, the ex-French chaser won a decent handicap at Kempton and was fourth in a Grade 2 handicap chase at Cheltenham in the 2017-18 season when his preference for today's trip of 2m4f first became apparent.

Cepage (left) chased home Frodon at Cheltenham last DecemberCredit: Mark Cranham

Williams, who has landed this in the last decade with Just Smudge (2010) and Pepite Rose (2015), said: "Cepage picked up an injury at Cheltenham last year but he's in good form now and we're looking forward to getting him back.

"He's not the biggest to be carrying topweight but he's earned it and this looks a good starting point for him."

Key stat
Venetia Williams' form in the last 13 days 1F7136117244.

War Sound again?

War Sound is out to repeat his success of 12 months ago in this and is only 2lb higher this time around after his form tailed off a little in the spring.

Philip Hobbs produced War Sound to score by six lengths on his reappearance a year ago and must do so again on ground that will be slower this time.

War Sound: won this race 12 months agoCredit: Grossick Photography

The ten-year-old was last seen pulling up in a €100,000 handicap chase at the Punchestown festival in May but was hampered at the start that day and could never get into contention.

Hobbs said: "War Sound won the race last year and has coped with soft ground in the past. I'm hopeful he goes there with a good each-way chance."

Rerouted Russian heads north for first time

The Russian Doyen was supposed to make his seasonal return at Exeter last Tuesday but instead makes his first start north of Cheltenham for Colin Tizzard, who won this contest with Pasco in 2012.

Winner of two of his four starts over fences as a novice last year, the six-year-old signed off with an excellent fourth in the Listed Close Brothers Novices' Handicap Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.

Tizzard said: "He had a good season last season, finishing fourth at Cheltenham when be beat all the other English horses. We planned to take him to the Haldon Gold Cup the other day but we've decided to go for this instead, where the trip should suit him."

What they say

Harry Whittington, trainer of Bigmartre
It didn't suit him having no fences to jump in the straight there last time due to the low sun but hopefully looking at the weather forecast we should be okay this time. This is a drop class for him and he's been in good form since. He didn't have a hard race last time and is a class jumper so we're hopeful he can put on a better show.

Richard Newland, trainer of Duke Street
He's in the form of his life just now and this looks the right time to have a crack at this level. He's going back over fences, which may or may not be the right call, but he's in great order at home.

Nigel Twiston Davies, trainer of Riders Onthe Storm
He's a new horse to us and has done everything we've asked of him at home and this will tell us a bit more about him. Off his rating this race was always going to suit him and we hope to get some of the nice prize-money.

Dan Skelton, trainer of Oldgrangewood
He's been in good form at home of late and this will be his first run since having a wind operation. We wouldn't want to see too much more rain for him.

Tom George, trainer of Copper West
He kicked off with a victory in a £50,000 race at Market Rasen three weeks ago and he looks to have a good chance of following up off a nice weight. It should be a good day for his owners, the MerseyClyde Partnership, with Copper West gunning for an £80,000 race on their local patch.

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