Christian Williams’ Duo Before the Weekend Analysed
Christian Williams is operating at a 25% strike rate in the last two weeks. The highlight was undoubtedly sending out the 1-2 in Kempton’s Coral Trophy on Saturday and the Welsh handler looks to send out more winners before the week is out.
Stringtoyourbow (Friday, 1.45 Newbury)
His form to date is nothing to shout about, but it is intriguing that STRINGTOYOURBOW sneaks into this handicap off a far lower weight than any of his rivals.
From a mark of 95, he is rated 11lb below the next runner in the field. Moreover, there is no doubt that handicaps will in time be the making of him if he is ever to win a race.
He was third in a Fairyhouse point to point before joining Williams, which is a decent level to perform at. That said, in three runs at Exeter and Wincanton he has started at big prices and failed to threaten the frame.
Nevertheless, there was some encouragement in his second of those three runs and it would be dangerous to rule him out.
Mamluk (Friday, 2.20 Newbury)
This juvenile hurdle looks a particularly strong one for this time of year with Cheltenham just around the corner. With all of these falling just below that top standard, this should be a competitive contest.
Icone D’Aubrelle, In The Air, and Lifetime Legend may all be useful horses to follow, but Williams’ entry in this, MAMLUK, could be the most interesting of the lot.
Trained by Jean-Claude Rouget on the flat in France, some of his form ties in with some Listed performers in that country. While he would have likely ended up in handicaps a little below that standard, that still gives him a decent profile for a horse beginning life over hurdles.
He was a thorough enough stayer over 1m4f on the level which gives confidence that he will have the staying power for at least two miles over hurdles. He could well be one for the future for Williams.