Case will be double-handed at Towcester

Case has a couple of entries for the fixture at the Northants track where the action is due to get under way at 1.40pm.

Perhaps the best of Case’s intended Towcester runners this week will be the six year-old Shanroe Saint who is poised to take his chance in the 1m 7 1/2f handicap hurdle.

This French bred gelding has been knocking on the door in his six runs so far this season.

Although he has yet to get his head in front, Shanroe Saint was a runner-up at Warwick in November and has also been placed third on a couple of occasions in respectable fields.

His owners, the Polk Partnership, are based at Fenny Compton.

The Wardington Gate Farm handler said: “He is a nice horse who is fairly straightforward and as far as ground is concerned, the softer the better.”

Case also runs Zara’s Reflection in the starsportsbet.co.uk Mares National Hunt” Novices Hurdle.

Meanwhile, Moreton Pinkney-based owner Richard Whitehead will see how Dr Des runs at Towcester today before making any decision about any plans for the Cheltenham Festival next month.

The seven-year-old has an entry in the Star Sports Daily Specials Novices’ Hurdle.

Trained by Henry Oliver, he has only had three outings in this country. But he has shaped into an exciting prospect on each occasion and looks to be heading to the Cheltenham Festival in March.

Dr Des was a winner at Stratford in October and his subsequent efforts have been even better.

He was runner-up in a higher grade behind both Mr One More and Claimantakinforgan, trained by Harry Fry and Nicky Henderson respectively. Both of those outings were at Ascot.

Whitehead has five winners to his name so far.

He said: “We are running Dr Des at Towcester to discover whether he will stay the 2m 5f trip at Cheltenham. We initially plan to enter him for both the Supreme Novices Hurdle over 2m and the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle over 2m 5f at the Festival.”