3:35 – True Romance 12/1 E/W
Having been underwhelmed by racing in the past couple of weeks, this card at Perth sparked some much needed excitement! Plenty of competitive handicaps, an open listed race and even the opening maiden hurdle has attracted a strong field; the latter being a rarity at this time of year.
True Romance lines up here for what will be his first outing over hurdles in over 500 days. Having missed all of last season, he’s had two spins on the all-weather recently where he shaped better than the bare result on the latter of those starts.
Those efforts will have undoubtedly sharpened him up for a return to hurdling which may well have been the plan. He’s only had four starts in this sphere but he’s run well on each occasion, with his form figures reading: 1224. His sole victory came at the expense of the useful Locker Room Talk, who reached a mark of 138 in the months following his defeat to True Romance.
His handicap debut over hurdles came off just a 1lb lower mark than he races off today; he finished a narrow second at Musselburgh having coasted his way to the front, only to throw the victory away by idling out in front. Raised 7lbs for that run, he shaped extremely well at Haydock when last seen over jumps, trading at 1.45 in running before fading out of the places close to home. The latter of those starts came over 2m3f on soft ground which perhaps stretched his stamina, and the return to 2m on quicker ground looks sure to suit.
Given his tendency to idle in a finish, the fitting of cheekpieces for the first time since a handicap at Wolverhampton in September 2018 looks a wise move although I still expect him to be ridden with patience.
The handicapped has been generous in dropping him 6lbs since his last run and given that he’s only had four starts in this sphere, he still has the potential to improve.
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