Beverley preview: Ice Slice looks hot stuff

Ice Slice put in a cracking effort when runner-up on his seasonal reappearance and can go one better in the 1m handicap on today’s marathon eight-race card at Beverley (15.55) now eased in grade.

The James Eustace trained gelding was a dual winner on soft ground last season, and was particularly impressive when powering clear to beat Tullia by three lengths in a class 4 contest at Newbury.

It was a performance which suggested Ice Slice should have more to offer during this campaign, and that view was confirmed when the four-year-old stayed on from off the pace to be beaten 1 1/2 lengths by Yourartisonfire in a nine-runner class 3 contest at Nottingham last month.

Although no match for the comfortable winner, Ice Slice stuck to the task well and arguably posted a career best performance.

The son of Dark Angel is also entitled to strip much fitter for the outing, his first in 112 days, and is now able to race in this lower grade class 4 affair off an unchanged mark of 81.

It gives Ice Slice major claims from a handicapping perspective, and with underfoot conditions to suit a repeat performance is going to make him very hard to beat in the hands of in-form jockey Graham Lee.

Trainer Tim Easterby has his team in good nick, and Multellie can provide the shrewd Yorkshire handler with another winner in the 1m 2f handicap (16.25).

The gelding finished placed in four starts as a juvenile, and shaped particularly well when third of 13 to Dark Wave on his handicap debut at Pontefract over 1m on soft ground when last seen in action back in October.

Multellie stayed on in eye-catching fashion from the rear of the field to be nearest at the finish, and although beaten seven lengths hinted that there could be far better to come this season.