Hedger hoping road to Ebor starts at Newbury tomorrow for C’Est No Mour

Newbury Racecourse stages the Gigaclear Race Evening tomorrow, Tuesday, June 26, with the action on the track starting at 5.35pm with a race for purebred Arabians.

The racing is accompanied by Newbury’s inaugural gin festival. Racegoers will have the chance to sample up to 30 different gins and listen to live music on the Crafty Filly Terrace located behind the Hampshire Stand.

The feature race is the £11,500 Pegasus Pumps Ltd Handicap (7.40pm, five runners) over 12 furlongs. Guns Of Leros (Gary Moore/Hector Crouch, 9st 12lb) is bidding for his second victory of the season after making all in a 10-furlong handicap at Newmarket on May 18, his first start for 588 days.

Peter Hedger saddles C’Est No Mour (Tom Marquand, 9st 2lb), who has bottom-weight, on the back of a second-placed effort at Windsor on June 11.

The five-year-old son of Champs Elysses enjoyed a tremendous 2017, winning four times, including back-to-back victories over 12 furlongs at Epsom in August and September.

Hedger, based near Hook, Hampshire, said today: “C’Est No Mour is in good form at home. He has taken a while to get going this season as he was gelded through the winter and I felt he just took a while to adjust.

“I was very pleased with his run at Windsor last time, where he made up plenty of ground late on to finish second.

“He really likes good to firm ground and we are set to get that tomorrow, so we are hopeful. Tom Marquand gets on well with him too.

“The Gary Moore horse [Guns Of Leros] could go out in front and, if he sets a fast pace, that would really suit us as C’Est No Mour will be staying on at the finish.

“I think a lot of this horse and I’m hopeful about his chances tomorrow night.

“C’Est No Mour could do with going up a few pounds as I think he could be an Ebor horse. He excels over 12 furlongs and I think he could step up to 1m 6f for that race as he finishes his races strongly.

“He probably needs to win two more races in order to get in to the Ebor, so we’re hopeful about tomorrow night and we’ll see how he gets on.”

The line-up also features Teodoro (Tom Dascombe/Richard Kingscote, 9st 12lb), who also racked up four successes in 2017.

Tuff Rock (Martin Harley, 9st 4lb) is having his first start for Newmarket trainer David Simcock, while the JP McManus-owned Travertine (Jonjo O’Neill/Fran Berry, 9st 5lb) is returning to the Flat after finishing third over hurdles at Ffos Las on May 31.

Elsewhere on the card, a couple of two-year-olds with eye-catching pedigrees make their debuts in the Gigaclear Full Fibre Broadband Fillies’ Novice Stakes (7.10pm, 13 runners) over seven furlongs.

Embrace The Moment (Richard Hannon/Sean Levey) is from the family of French Derby hero Hernando, while the dam of Spanish Aria (John Gosden/Robert Havlin) is a half-sister to Mukhadram, winner of the Eclipse in 2014.

The seven-race thoroughbred card runs from 6.10pm through to 9.15pm.

The going at Newbury is currently Good to Firm, with watering as necessary to maintain that description.

Jump jockey Lizzie Kelly, who has recently taken up a summer placement at Newbury Racecourse, will be providing a weekly blog throughout her time which can be read here – http://bit.ly/2KmkAdd