National hope Midnight out to regain the winning thread
ByConnections of the classy Midnight Chase will be hoping that a heavy fall at Down Royal on his seasonal reappearance has not affected his confidence and that the Lady Clarke-owned gelding can get his season back on track with a win at Wetherby on Boxing Day in the feature Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase, writes Elliot Slater.
Trainer Neil Mulholland took a big chance in running Midnight Chase in the Grade 1 JNwine.com Chase at the Northern Ireland track in early November on ground far more testing than is ideal for the son of Midnight Legend who has shown over the years that he goes best on a decent surface. After racing prominently for much of the way it was clear that Dougie Costelloe’s mount was struggling as he dropped back to a very tired fourth before taking a heavy fall at the second from home in the race won by Ireland’s big Cheltenham Gold Cup hope, Quito de La Roque. Anyone following the ante-post Grand National odds wouldn’t have been impressed.
The return to a left-handed track is also expected to raise the spirits of Mulholland’s charge who has a tremendous record at his beloved Cheltenham as proven last term when he rattled up a hattrick at the track including in listed and Grade 3 company before being given the green light to take his chance in the Cheltenham Gold Cup. After getting outpaced a mile from home and losing his position it was very much to Midnight Chase’s credit that he rallied bravely from the home turn and was staying on well at the death to be an excellent fifth behind Long Run.
His Gold Cup performance convinced connections that their horse has what it takes to bid for a John Smith’s Grand National and bookmakers currently rate the Midnight chase a 33/1 chance across the board to triumph at Aintree in April.
Originally written by Bet123.net, an online Betting Guide
National hope Midnight out to regain the winning thread
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