A trainer's decision to put blinkers on a horse for the first time can be taken two ways -- the beast has become ungenuine and it is a last, desperate measure, or the aid has sharpened it up to the extent it is working well at home. I incline to the latter view with Alan King's Yardbird (3.10) at Ascot today, and at around 6-1 this three-mile chaser is a bet. King had planned to try the blinkers on Yardbird prior to the gelding's comeback run, but left them off until today. Yardbird ran a decent enough race at Sandown and he is currently very well handicapped on the form that saw him run Alderburn to a length at Kempton last season.
At Exeter, Philip Hobbs, who is the leading course trainer, could well complete a first and last race double with Petitjean (12.30) and Oiseau de Nuit (3.55). The former has shown steady improvement over fences and gets into this hurdles race off a 23lb lower mark, while Oiseau de Nuit has his first run for the Hobbs stable and is partnered by a promising young rider in Tom Molloy. He is the value against Mickmacmagoole, who might not have had sufficient time to get over his exertions at Warwick on Wednesday.
Talking of jockeys, Denis O'Regan has impressed since joining the Howard Johnson stable from Ireland. At Kelso today, the combination team up for a dark horse in the novice handicap chase in the shape of Loaded Dice (12.40). This six-year-old did not do much over hurdles last season, but he cost owner Graham Wylie 70,000gns after winning an Irish point-to-point and if he puts in a clear round of jumping here, Loaded Dice can go well off bottom weight in an ordinary race.
