Allmankind headlines Peterborough Chase cast

PA Sport Staff
December 4, 2021 12:38 pm

Classy First Flow in opposition at Huntingdon.

Dan Skelton is looking forward to running the in-form Allmankind in the Grade Two Fitzdares Peterborough Chase at Huntingdon on Sunday.

The five-year-old was a winner last time out when taking the Old Roan Chase at Aintree, also a Grade Two, by a length from the smart Itchy Feet under top-weight.

Skelton eased the horse’s workload following the run, but the bay has since returned to full work and faring well ahead of the weekend’s contest.

“It was a great weight-carrying performance by him in the Old Roan at Aintree. He has been a magical horse for us and he is only five, but it seems like he has been around for a long time,” Skelton said.

“You like to win big ones like the Old Roan and we had planned it out as well. We had planned to give him the run at Chepstow over hurdles beforehand and everything just went perfectly.

Allmankind winning the Henry VIII Novices' Chase — Allmankind winning the Henry VIII Novices’ Chase (Alan Crowhurst/PA)

“We backed off him for a week afterwards, but now we’ve increased his work again and everything seems really good. He is much happier over two and a half miles now as well.”

Allmankind beat both Sue Smith’s Midnight Shadow and Venetia Williams’ Fanion D’Estruval in the Old Roan – form since been boosted by their subsequent successes.

“The form of the Aintree race couldn’t have worked out much better either,” Skelton said.

“Midnight Shadow, who finished third, has since won the Paddy Power Gold Cup and Fanion D’Estruval, who was back in fourth, won at Newbury the other day.

“I can’t wait to run him in the Peterborough Chase. He is in fine form at home and I’m really looking forward to it.”

In opposition is Kim Bailey’s First Flow, who has not been seen since finishing sixth in the Champion Chase at Punchestown in April, prior to which he was also sixth in the Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham.

David Bass aboard First Flow (Alan Crowhurst/PA)

The nine-year-old has since had an operation for kissing spines and would benefit from any rain at the Cambridgeshire track.

“He is well, I’m happy with him,” Bailey said.

“It’s not ideal because he’s a horse that wants soft ground really, but we’ve got to run him somewhere.”

Elsewhere in the race is Colin Tizzard’s Eldorado Allen, who won the Grade Two Haldon Gold Cup at Exeter on his last outing in early November, alongside Paul Nicholls’ 1965 Chase runner-up Master Tommytucker.

Venetia Williams’ Funambule Sivola came home behind Shishkin when contesting the Grade One Maghull Novices’ Chase at Aintree in April and runs for the first time this season at Huntingdon, with Warren Greatrex’s Keeper Hill also kicking off his campaign in the race.