CALVIC CAN ANSWER THE CALL

Jeremy Grayson has been off the beaten track filling up his notebook with interesting runners

- Jeremy Grayson

WORCESTER, 5 July (Good, good to firm in places) 2m (+65yds) Novices' Hurdle (class 4)

An outpaced 141 fourth over an inadequate trip behind a rampant David Pipe-trained mare completing a hattrick was probably the best on offer for CALVIC, even before factoring in a lack of match practice on this Rules debut, his first outing of any description since April 2022. Both a maiden win over the full pointing trip at Penshurst for Alan Hill sixteen months ago (good) and a fair second at Loughrea in Ireland for Ellmarie Holden before that (soft) speak of an effectiveness over 3m around a sharper track than Worcester, and although another qualifying run or two will be required first, it takes little to imagine this seven-year-old Califet gelding from the family of Glasker Mill (once a head second to Cloudy Lane in a Peter Marsh Chase) taking his level up several notches once pitched into staying handicaps over hurdles or fences around the likes of Stratford or Newton Abbot. Should all else fail, the option does of course remain for him to move back from Lawney to Alan Hill and attempt to resume previous progression between the flags.

PERTH, 6 July (Good) 2m7f207yds (+141yds) 0-105 Novices' Handicap Hurdle (class 5)