Horseracing: David Pipe’s City PM Column

WITH no sign of rain, it looks like being a quiet weekend for us with only UN TEMPS POUR TOUT flying the flag for the stable in the Classic Chase at Warwick (3.00pm) tomorrow.

The plan is to run him as long as the ground is safe, so we certainly don’t want it to dry out any more.

He seems in good from at home and Tom (Scudamore) schooled him last week and he jumped well.

It is fair to say that he was very ring-rusty on his reappearance over hurdles at Aintree back in November and he will need to step up on that.

The reality is that he needs to bounce back and although the signs are good, this will be no easy task off top-weight from a mark of 158.

I’m just really keen to see him take a positive step in the right direction.

I was delighted with CATCH THE SWALLOWS who won at Bangor earlier in the week on his first start for us.

It was some performance to give 12lbs to Venetia Williams’ runner in what was a truly run race.

They seemed to go a good gallop from the outset and my gut feel is that it was a good bumper.

He looks a nice prospect and I’m not sure whether we’ll switch to hurdles now or have another run in a bumper.

Looking back at last weekend and the ground simply wasn’t soft enough for RATHLIN ROSE in the Veterans’ Chase at Sandown.

He also came back with a nasty cut, so we will give him a little bit more time and prepare him for the military cups at Sandown again, where hopefully he will be reunited with Captain Guy Disney.

Hopefully the rain will have finally arrived by then too!