I don't know what both the jockeys were thinking on the two Tuesday selections, but they clearly got it wrong.
Both horses had a carbon-copy ride, and after watching Comrade Alexi, I knew Oviedo was going to struggle to come from off the pace.
What makes it annoying is that Oviedo has been much closer to the pace in his previous outings, so why did they decide to change the tactics, especially when the pace was holding up in previous races at Leicester?
As for Kieran Shoemark, that was a really bad ride. He was fancied in the market, yet was ridden like he was the outsider of the field. The horse broke well, and he was content with holding him up. Some very poor decisions.
Il Est Francais 11/4 – Ffos Las 4.38
It's crazy to think that Il Est Francais is still only an eight-year-old, as he has been on the scene for a very long time. He has had his problems over the last couple of years, and he has swapped yards on a few occasions, and now finds himself with Dan Skelton.
I really like this stable move, and if any trainer is going to get him to return to form apart from Willie Mullins, Dan Skelton is the man for the job. We don't know about his fitness, and we don't know what he's got left under the bonnet, but this is a handicap, and if he's anywhere near his best, he would run away with this.
Carrying a big weight doesn't concern me as much as it usually would, as they will likely make the running with him, and if he can get into a rhythm, he'll be tough to peg back. Harry Skelton has opted for the ride on Il Est Francais over his stablemate, who isn't without a chance in this race, and I think that speaks volumes.
Lillie Margot 3/1 – Nottingham 4.47
The saying horses for courses is normally used for horses who have a clear love for a certain course, with many wins racked up, but maybe Lillie Margot just appreciates Nottingham more than any other turf track.
She is a lightly raced horse with only a handful of turf starts, but her only win has come at this venue, and the other run here was her second-best effort on turf. She has run some decent races on the AW, but her two best runs on grass have been at Nottingham, so seeing her return to this track is a huge positive.
She is only 2lb higher than when she won here earlier in the season, which obviously gives her a nice chance of bouncing back to form. It doesn't look like the toughest of races, which makes her odds of 3/1 very appealing.
GambleAware