Passing Well primed for Prestige prize

Albert Bartlett entry could book Festival ticket.

Jamie Snowden’s Passing Well will look to continue his progression with a step up in trip for the Albert Bartlett Prestige Novices’ Hurdle at Haydock.

The six-year-old has been making a success of his early hurdling career so far, winning on debut and then finishing fourth when stepped steeply up to Grade One level in the Challow Novices’ Hurdle.

Then returned to slightly less exalted company in a Newcastle novice, the gelding defied a penalty to win comfortably when coming home five and a half lengths ahead of his nearest rival.

The form from the Challow has begun to look increasingly solid in the meantime, with the fifth-placed Marble Sands going on the win the Sidney Banks and Snowden’s own You Wear It Well, second, bolting up in the Grade Two Jane Seymour Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle.

Passing Well holds an entry for the Albert Bartlett, and after this Grade Two the contest could be another stepping stone to a novice chasing campaign for him next season.

Snowden said: “He won very nicely first time out this season, then ran well when fourth in the Challow.

“He won very nicely on his last start under a penalty. He’s in the Albert Bartlett and we’ll have to see where we go with him next, but he’s a very exciting horse and he will be especially so next season when he goes novice chasing.”

Paul Nicholls’ Makin’yourmindup is also due to run in the same race, another step forward in a novice hurdling career that has seen him win twice and then finish second on his most recent start.

The latter performance saw him defeated two lengths on soft ground at Kempton and his trainer is hopeful that a run on better going will be of benefit.

“He shapes like an out-and-out stayer, won his first two starts for us this season and was then far from disgraced when finishing second to Collectors Item at Kempton five weeks ago when he wasn’t suited by the slow pace of the race,” he told Betfair.

“He didn’t enjoy the attritional ground that day and will appreciate a stronger gallop at Haydock in a competitive race.”

Joe Tizzard’s Scarface, Richard Bandey’s Saint Palais and Ben Clarke’s Dr Kananga all line up alongside Collectors Item – the winner of Makin’yourmindup’s last start.

More Grade Two honours are on offer in the Betfred Rendlesham Hurdle, a stayers’ contest run at a trip of just over three miles.

Nick Kent’s Erne River is well-fancied for the race having switched back to hurdles recently, with Venetia Williams’ Green Book also in the reckoning after a valuable success last time out.

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