Horseracing: David Pipe’s City PM Column

WITH only one runner over the next couple of days, it will be a relatively quiet weekend for us.

RATHLIN ROSE takes his chance in the Veterans’ Handicap Chase (3.00pm) at Sandown tomorrow and this has been the plan for some time.

He had a nice pipe-opener here back in November and seems in good form at home.

Ideally, I would have preferred slightly softer ground, but when the frost covers are removed it should be tacky ground which should play to his strengths.

He is at the right end of the weights and has plenty going for him.

Looking back at some of our runners over the Festive period and RAMSES DE TEILLEE came agonisingly close to winning the Coral Welsh Grand National at Chepstow. He finished a really brave second to Elegant Escape and they are two very exciting six-year-olds.

I was delighted with my fella who is improving all the time and proved that he stays well.

In fact, we may even step him up to four miles now so there are plenty of options open to him.

The one thing is that he does seem at his best on soft ground, so that will influence where we go next.

VIEUX LION ROUGE simply did too much in the blinkers and paid for that late on.

We will look at options for him over hurdles or fences in January and will more than likely leave the blinkers off.

DELFACE put up a nice performance at Uttoxeter on New Year’s Eve and deserved to get his head in front.

We then started the New Year with a double at Exeter with EXTRA MAG and NEW AGE DAWNING both getting the job done.

The former shows plenty at home and is an exciting prospect. As for the latter, it was a pleasant surprise and he could shape into a nice three mile chaser.