Uttoxeter Preview: Wild about the chances of Sauvage

Rouquine Sauvage looked miles ahead of the assessor when bolting up on handicap debut and can make light of a 7lb penalty to follow-up in the 2m 5f handicap hurdle at Uttoxeter today (2.30).

The Anthony Honeyball trained mare was a decent bumper performer but failed to any ice in her first five starts over hurdles.

However, the six-year-old was allotted a potentially lenient opening handicap mark of just 93 as a result and made a mockery of it when slamming Moving Waters by nine lengths at Chepstow last week.

The daughter of Loup Sauvage travelled strongly throughout the contest, and after making smooth headway to take up the running three from home cruised clear and score with any amount in hand.

Rouquine Sauvage is due to go up 12lb for that runaway success, so it’s no surprise to see connections turn her out quickly under a penalty as it means she is officially 5lb “well-in” at the weights.

With the prospect of plenty more to come and the soft ground holding no fears, Rouquine Sauvage is going to be very tough to beat in what looks a weak class 4 contest.

In the 2m handicap hurdle (1.55), Summertime Lady is a fascinating contender on debut for in-form trainer Ben Pauling and may well have got in lightly.

The mare shaped well in a couple of decent bumpers when trained by Colin Tizzard, finishing seventh of 13 to Tea For Two at Wincanton and fourth of nine to The Pirates Queen at Taunton.

Those winners are very useful sorts, and both contests have thrown up plenty of subsequent winners.

They include the now 136-rated hurdler Junction Fourteen, who finished just three lengths in front of Summertime Lady in the Wincanton contest.

Summertime Lady went on two shape with plenty of promise in three runs over hurdles last season when not knocked about, and looks the type who has been brought along steadily with handicaps in mind.

The six-year-old gets into this off an opening mark of just 95, and that looks very exploitable in a class 5 contast lacking any real strength in depth.