2:50 – CANTON PRINCE 14/1 E/W
The booking of Richard Johnson is a massive plus for this son of Shantou’s chances; he’s ridden the selection on 10 occasions, resulting in 5 wins and 4 second’s.
He takes over from Charlie Price who rode him on his seasonal reappearance when he looked quite badly in need of the run, which isn’t too surprising given that he hadn’t been seen for 264 days. His jumping was a tad rusty and he was badly hampered on two occasions, the first of which brought him to a virtual standstill. So while he was well beaten, there are plenty of reasons to expect a better performance today.
Firstly, he was well beaten on his seasonal reappearance last season before winning on his next start; like today, Richard Johnson took over in the saddle. Secondly, Tim Vaughan’s runners have returned in good form after a quiet spell in June and July. The yard has only had 2 runners in the last few weeks, resulting in 1 win and a second place finish; both were ridden by Richard Johnson.
Canton Prince does face three notably in-form rivals today and while they all deserve to be at the top of the market, the eight runner field means that an each-way play makes plenty of appeal.
He’s only had five chase starts thus far and he does have some solid novice form to his name. Having won on chase debut, he bumped into subsequent Market Rasen winner, Potterman, on two occasions; he finished a close 2nd to him both times but that rival is now rated 142.
Canton Prince was a winner over hurdles from a mark of 127, reaching a peak rating of 135 in that sphere. He races off 125 today and he should be competitive with conditions to suit.
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