STIFF tracks on a Sunday seem to suit Dinarius and Northants trainer Alex Hales will be hoping his quirky five-year-old will once more be on his best behaviour at Towcester this week when action resumes at the Northants track with the first race due off at 2.10pm.
Dinarius is owned by the former Saudi Arabian ambassador to the UK,
AS Helaissi, whose colours have already twice been sent out from Edgcote this
season to score at Carlisle in November and at Towcester last month.
Dinarius is something of a t
ricky ride, and needs to be held up well off the pace to be seen to his best advantage, tactics which were employed favourably by Paddy
Merrigan at Carlisle and then by Noel Fehily when that jockey rode a treble at Towcester back on January 24.
With that jockey now sidelined for
several months after aggravating an old shoulder injury at Cheltenham, Sam Jones took over the ride at Leicester last week, only to take a tumble from the mount.
Hales has had his horses in good fettle and could also send out Lila Belle in the concluding National Hunt flat race, which rounds off an intriguing six-race card.
Focal point of the day looks like being the Beachborough School Centenary Handicap Chase at 3.10pm, a race named in recognition of the preparatory school at Westbury, just along the A43
near Brackley.
That race could fall to the Neil
Mulholland-trained I'm A Legend who has already been successful in novice chase company this season.
County-based trainer Caroline Bailey is another who has been among the winners just lately and she could be on target with Oscar Owen in the opening selling hurdle.
Oscar Owen's career highlight came when he sprang a 50/1 surprise at
Newbury last season.
Towcester is staging its annual
Cheltenham Festival preview night on Wednesday March 10.
On the panel this year are Robert
Cooper from Attheraces, Kieran Packman from Timeform, on course bookmaker Gary Wilytshire, professional pundit Mark 'The Couch' Winstanley, gg.com writer Andrew Mount and jump jockey
Paddy Brennan.
n Further details are available from
the racecourse on 01327 353414.
