MONTY WILL FIND AWARD LOWER DOWN

Jeremy Grayson gets out and about with his notebook

- Jeremy Grayson

FFOS LAS, 17 June (Good to firm, good in places)

2m (+69yds) 0-120 Novices’ Handicap Chase (class 4)

This twelfth running of Ffos Las’s first and oldest fixture cut up rather on account of the ever-quickening surface (a 1/33 favourite won a match on all over good to firm later on), but this looked a fair race for the grade beforehand. It’s fair to say that runner-up LORD SCHNAPPS caught a tartar in the shape of the hugely impressive chasing debutant Courtland, who picked him off three out and disappeared into the long distance, but this still represented a second solid effort from as many starts this summer since joining Dr Richard Newland, who can be trusted to place him to advantage. As at Worcester the month before, a first fence mistake actually proved useful in waking him up, with nothing about the Apsis gelding’s jumping thereafter giving any concern. A return to the 2m4f-2m6f of most previous outings won’t go amiss, and the pick of his previous Irish form includes sufficient encouragement on good to yielding ground should easier conditions be encountered.

MARKET RASEN, 18 June (Good to soft)

2m4f139yds (+222yds) 0-100 Handicap Hurdle (class 5)