17yo winner at Ffos Las???

All Northern Hemisphere thoroughbreds celebrated their birthday yesterday and are now a year older, including the wonderful veteran Victory Gunner (Richard Lee/ Michael Nolan) who runs in the 3 mile handicap chase at 14.10 CET at Ffos Las. He is now 17 and we believe that he is the oldest horse in training in the U.K. He has won 14 races in his long career, most of them on heavy ground (as it is today) and on the Welsh tracks here or at Chepstow. He is no longer the most consistent performer, but he is well handicapped here and meets weak opposition- we would love to see the old boy win again! He is almost the same age as Sean Bowen, the teenage son of top local trainer Peter, who is definitely one of the finds of the season. He had a double at Cheltenham yesterday and has several good rides for his father today; he can win the bumper at 16.55 on Hollies Pearl. Another one we like here is ex-German group winner Global Thrill (Bernard Llewellyn/ Robert Williams) in the opening novice hurdle at 13.40; he has run respectably on both his starts over this CD and although Beast of Burden (Rebecca Curtis/ Tony McCoy) is a hot odds-on favourite here, could be an interesting each-way alternative.

Another young rider going places is Mikey Ennis, who won the main event at Musselburgh yesterday for John Ferguson. he teams up again with the Newmarket trainer, who does so well with ex-flat horses, on Mijhaar at Ayr at 16.10 and the combination can score again. He was a listed winner for Roger Varian and has shown enough over hurdles to suggest that a race of this standard is well within his compass. A German-bred who can run well here is Amore Mio (Lucinda Russell/ Mr W Reed) who has bottom weight in the handicap hurdle at 14.00; he is from a top Ittlingen Family and although out of a Lando mare can handle heavy ground well enough. Top trainer here is Jim Goldie, and his Plus Jamais (James Reveley) can win the handicap hurdle over a shorter trip at 14.35; he won twice over this CD on heavy ground last winter.