Target Could Be Suited By Step Up In Trip At Ludlow

It has been a poor start to 2016 for the blog and the winless run was extended with another couple of poor runs from Saturday's selections. Bertie Boru just never got into the race under Tom O'Brien and was pulled up before 3 out in what turned out to be an attritional race. Mountainous was a deserved winner for Kerry Lee and it seems her Dad has left her with a load of well handicapped horses to start off her training career. Little Boy Boru ran a slightly better race at Kempton but he was well behind the principals in 5th and it looked a much deeper race than last year when he finished 3rd. He is one to look out for in a weaker race later on in the season.

Plenty of meetings have fallen foul of the inclement weather conditions on both sides of the Irish Sea but thankfully Ludlow are raceable tomorrow. The ground will be bottomless and one horse that should handle the conditions well is Midnight Target, one of two runners for locally based John Groucott, who is 3/13 with his runners at Ludlow.

This 6yo daughter of Midnight Legend first caught my eye on her 2nd run in a soft ground bumper here back in December. She was given a shocking ride by her novice jockey, charting the widest route of all, but she stayed on very pleasingly in the closing stages, suggesting that a step up in trip would be ideal. Her next run, in another bumper on heavy ground at Uttoxeter, was another promising effort and she just missed out on 3rd by a neck, keeping on well again after getting outpaced as the race hotted up.

Her pedigree suggests that she will appreciate the step up in trip too, and she is related to a couple of 20f and 25f winners. Her dam is out of a half sister to useful 24f soft ground winner Rathowen and there is definitely plenty of reason for optimism regarding the step up to 21f today. Her sire, Midnight Legend, has a 16% strike rate with his runners on heavy and she already showed that she handles cut on her last two outings.

Kyle James, who rode her last time out, takes off a handy 3lb and she also carries less weight than the geldings in the race. She is fit, she has shown she handles the track and ground and her pedigree offers hope regarding the step up in trip. At odds of 33/1 she looks worthy of a small each way bet but stakes should be kept to a minimum due to the fact she has never jumped a hurdle in public before. Hopefully she takes to the game and ends the blog's barren run in style!

STEVOS' SELECTION: 2.30 LUDLOW-MIDNIGHT TARGET E/W 33/1