Seven horses have been entered for Monday’s valuable Weatherbys nhstallions.co.uk Graduation Chase at Carlisle, a race which was won 12 months ago by War Lord, who is set to reappear in Friday’s Haldon Gold Cup at Exeter.
Retired after taking a heavy fall at Wetherby on Friday, Nuts Well won the 2017 renewal and the same connections look set to run Tommy’s Oscar on Monday. The seven-year-old made giant strides over hurdles last season – winning three handicaps and the Grade 2 Champion Hurdle Trial from Haydock – and although he was unable to make an impact in the Champion Hurdle itself, made a winning reappearance over course-and-distance. He gave 17lbs to a race-fit rival and should have improved for the run.
Aucunrisque was a notable non-runner at Huntingdon on Sunday – meaning that former Triumph Hurdle winner Pentland Hills was given a walk-over – having earlier justified odds-on favouritism, when making a successful chasing debut at Uttoxeter. Those in behind haven’t done much for that form since and Chris Gordon’s six-year-old is likely to have much more on his plate here. He was a Grade 2 novice hurdle winner (Dovecote Novices’ Hurdle) last season, however, and ended that campaign with victory in Plumpton’s Sussex Champion Hurdle, off a mark of 133. He was rated 138 over hurdles, in comparison with Tommy’s Oscar’s hurdling mark of 155.
The other potential novice runner is the chasing debutant Monmiral, another high-class hurdler. Rated 149 after his second place in the Aintree Hurdle last spring, he had developed into a very smart juvenile during an unbeaten campaign, with the 2020-2021 season culminating with victory in Aintree’s Grade 1 Anniversary 4-Y-O Hurdle. An athletic looking son of Saints des Saints, he can be quite keen in his races, so coming back in distance for this reappearance would make sense and he would be a hugely exciting runner. Trainer Paul Nicholls stated in this week’s Racing Post stable tour that he was intending to send Monmiral up to Carlisle for this race and given the conditions of the race, he will receive weight from all.
Red Rookie is the least-exposed of the other four entrants, although he has the option of running in Friday’s aforementioned Haldon Gold Cup. The likely softer ground might sway Emma Lavelle and his owners to think about travelling North instead, as he won a brace of bumpers and a Sandown novices’ hurdle on heavy ground. The Black Sam Bellamy gelding raced four times over fences last term – all on good-to-soft going – so could easily show improved form once meeting more testing ground. He was last seen falling at the final fence in the Arkle at Cheltenham in March.
Cheddleton (Jennie Candlish), Cornerstone Lad (Micky Hammond) and Malystic (Peter Niven) complete the set of entries, with the last-named the only one of the three to have run previously this season. A course-and-distance winner in November 2020, Cheddleton finished third in this race last year, but this looks to be a (potentially) stronger renewal.