Kempton preview: Spirit has a Grand chance

Grand Spirit showed a good attitude when scoring last time out, and can make light of a rise in the weights to follow-up in the 7f handicap on this evening’s card at Kempton (19.25).

The Luca Cumani trained gelding got off the mark on his final start as a juvenile when winning over 7f at Brighton by 3 3/4 lengths, and was allotted an opening handicap mark of 81 on the back of that success.

Grand Spirit ran well off it on his seasonal reappearance in a 7f class 4 contest at Lingfield when a 1 1/2 length fourth to Bow And Arrow, but then failed to sparkle in his next five starts.

However, that resulted in a drop in the weights and the three-year-old took advantage to make all and hold on gamely to land a 7f contest at Wolverhampton by a neck off a mark of 74 whne last seen in action.

Grand Spirit has been raised just 2lb for that success, and that looks lenient judged on his run behind Bow And Arrow.

The son of Lord Shanakill was attempting to give Bow An Arrow 1lb when they met, and that one has gone on to score twice since and is now rated 96.

That suggests Grand Spirit remains very well-treated off a revised rating of 76 and, with Andrea Atzeni in the saddle, he looks weighted to take all the beating.

Trainer Dean Ivory has his team in good form, and Lancelot Du Lac can provide him with another success if the 6f conditions’ contest (20.25).