Shandancer Running Plans
In this post I’ve shared last week’s update email to Shandancer’s owners. Above are a few snaps from his decent fourth at Plumpton. We can’t wait to see him out racing again, with further details below. He’s such a trier and will be winning very soon, now able to race in handicaps. We do still have x9 shares available (now including lease shares) and you can find out more HERE >>>
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Hello,
Firstly may we take this opportunity to wish you all a very Happy New Year! I hope you had an enjoyable Festive Season. At RTPS we have much to look forward to in 2023 with a burning ambition to grow and to further improve your experience.
To our horse…
Shandancer – he’s fresh and well at home, ticking along, awaiting his next assignment. After some deliberation, we’ve come up with a two-race plan for him, which I’ll explain below…
Race 1: Friday 20th Jan, Market Rasen. 2m (16f), 0-110 handicap hurdle, £20k pot. (£10k to winner)
Race 2: Wednesday 15th February, Hereford, 2m 3.5f (19.5f), 0-110 handicap hurdle, £18k pot (£9.5k to winner)
Our thinking…
Well Shan now has a handicap mark of 106, and at this point we don’t really know if that’s good or not, for all we can only see him improving with more experience and when moving up in distance, so hopefully the handicapper is correct in assessing what he’s achieved to date, with the promise of much more to come. (some of his form is starting to work out well)
We have had eyes fixed on prize money, as we often do. The amount of money being thrown at these two races is eye popping. Most other races in this ratings band have total pots of £6-8k. I had assumed a typo in the raceplanner, but apparently not.
We have worked back from Hereford, which while possibly not an ideal location, has too much money being thrown at it to ignore. It’s also over what we hope will be a more suitable distance, nearly 2m 4f.
The question was what to do with him beforehand, as he’s fresh, needs to run, and could do with more hurdling experience.
Given the prize pot, we’ve landed on the Market Rasen race. It will give him experience of jumping right-handed also, and hopefully he’s fine going that way, having jumped to his left at Southwell, but much straighter at Plumpton. While 2 miles around there could be sharp enough, he will be up against horses of similar ability and should run well. If it’s soft ground, a decent field size, run at a decent pace, he should be running on and may well surprise us – if he does, there’s big money up for grabs (relative to his grade/uk prize money), and decent money for the placed horses also. Were he to win, he’d likely blow his mark for Hereford, but he’d have won a decent pot.
Note: given the prize money, I suspect entry numbers will be high and it could be a tight ratings band, and may well go to a ballot, so there’s a chance he doesn’t get in either race.
That’s the thinking at the moment, as always your considered thoughts are more than welcome on such race planning deliberations.
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It’s a busy month ahead for RTPS horses, with Kaleb, Shandancer and new girl Golden Mayflower likely to all hit the course. Fingers crossed our next winner isn’t too far away.
That’s all for this week’s update email, as always if you’ve any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch,
All the best,
Josh & Jay
07756545987 / 07501101379
