Morrison targeting Listed honours with Miss Austen

Mares’ bumper provides Huntingdon highlight.

Fresh from picking up a big prize with Not So Sleepy last Saturday, Hughie Morrison has his sights set on Tuesday’s Fitzdares Club Adores Henrietta Knight Mares’ Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race at Huntingdon with Miss Austen.

While her two outings to date were almost a year apart, she was due to run at the Grand National meeting before the pandemic struck.

She was last seen winning by almost 10 lengths at Ludlow in January and Morrison is hunting for black type.

“We were always aiming for Aintree with her, but of course it never happened,” he said.

“So we reconvened, we were thinking of going to Cheltenham or Huntingdon, but she had a slight niggle so we decided to wait for this.

“She’s got a great temperament and a really good little engine, I think she’s a decent mare. We’re hopeful she can get some black type.”

Michael Scudamore also enjoyed a good weekend with Nada To Prada picking up a Listed prize at Haydock and he is chasing another with Karlie, who won a point-to-point before scoring on her Rules debut on fast ground at Taunton.

Scudamore said: “She won her point on soft ground, but coped with quicker ground well at Taunton so she’s versatile that way.

“It’s hard to know what she achieved at Taunton, but she quickened up and did it in a nice fashion.

“Obviously she’ll have to step up again on that, but she’s fit and well and raring to go.”

Kim Bailey’s Flirtatious Girl is one of the more inexperienced runners in the field having had just the one run, but she did win at Warwick.

“The form hasn’t particularly worked out very well, but I think she’s improved since she ran,” said Bailey.

“It’s a very tough race, so if she’s in the first three I shall be delighted.

“She won on good ground on her debut, but I can’t see why she wouldn’t handle it softer.”

Fergal O’Brien runs both All Clenched Up and Blue Sans, while Alan King’s Nina The Terrier is another likely to be well fancied having won her only outing to date.

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