Carlisle Preview: Seal holds Rock solid claims

Seal Rock can take advantage of his lenient handicap mark to make a winning debut for trainer John Quinn in the 6f contest on today’s card at Carlisle (2.45).

The gelding was a useful sprinter in 2012 when trained by Henry Candy, where his last success saw him beat Mirza in a class 2 contest on soft ground at Pontefract off a mark of 95.

Although Seal Rock has failed to score since, the six-year-old finished a decent runner-up over 5f at Down Royal on his last start in Ireland for trainer Andy Oliver and now gets into this contest off 1lb lower.

Seal Rock is now running off a career-low rating of just 68, and that makes the son of Ishiguru extremely well-treated on the pick of his form if the move to Quinn has sweetened him up.

The soft ground conditions will certainly hold no fears, and the step back up to 6f is also a big plus as all of Seal Rock’s successes have come over it.

In the 5f nursery (3.20), Penny Royale is a fascinating contender on handicap debut for trainer Tim Easterby.

The filly has not been knocked about in three maiden runs, and caught the eye last time out when fourth of nine to Roossey at Ripon.

The daughter of Monsieur Bond kept on well to be beaten four lengths, leaving the distinct impression that she was a work in progress and had more to offer.

Penny Royale looks to have been brought along steadily with handicaps in mind, and off an opening mark of just 65 it would be no surprise to see her step up dramatically on what she has shown so far and land the spoils for a yard that always have to be feared in this type of event.

Warfare has been knocking on the door of late and holds leading claims of scoring an overdue success in the 1m handicap (5.00).

The Kevin Ryan trained gelding is on a losing streak of 17, with his last success coming in a class 3 handicap at Ascot back in May 2012 off a mark of 74.