Colin Parker Memorial Chase |
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| Listed, Carlisle 13:48 £30,000 guaranteed, 4yo plus, 2m 4f, Class 1  |
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1 Marble Sands 15/8
2
Colonel Harry 11/8F
3
Traprain Law 9/2
4 ran NR: Grey Dawning Distances: 3¾l, 2½l, 41l
Time: 5m 9.06s (slow by 10.66s)
Marble Sands toughs out the Colin Parker Memorial Intermediate Chase!
— Carlisle Racecourse (@CarlisleRaces) November 3, 2024
Congratulations to the David Killahena & Graeme McPherson team with Kielan Woods doing the steering 👏@kielanwoods @kandm_racing pic.twitter.com/EQsfrLU0aC
Trained by David Killahena and Graeme McPherson, the grey Marble Sands had his last two starts in all-weather Flat races following a novice chasing campaign last season.
With a Listed win over hurdles and some solid graded efforts under his belt, Marble Sands was a 15-8 chance in a field of four, ridden by Kielan Woods. Held up at the rear, he was never out of touch and progressed to challenge the 11-8 favourite, Colonel Harry, in the latter stages.
The two horses seemed set for a battle, but Marble Sands outjumped his rival and stayed on strongly to secure a three-and-three-quarter-length victory.
“I’m absolutely delighted; we’ve had this race in mind for a while,” said McPherson. “The conditions were perfect. He won a couple last year without carrying a penalty, so he went in with a nice weight. The trip was spot on, and the recent dry weather made the ground ideal. Everything aligned perfectly for him, making it a great start to his second season of chasing.
“He’s incredibly consistent, rarely out of the top three in the past four years, except in graded races. He tries his heart out and is a dream to train. I bought him as a three-year-old at the stores sales and fell in love with him. I’m thrilled with how he’s turned out.”
Looking ahead, McPherson added, “We’re considering the Rehearsal Chase at Newcastle at the end of November. We’ve always thought he’d get further, close to three miles, but he doesn’t like very soft ground. If it gets too soft, we might have to reconsider.”
Colin Parker Memorial Intermediate Chase
£30,000 guaranteed, 4yo plus, 2m 4f, Class 1
4 ran
Going: Good to Soft, Good in places
POS. DIST HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1 Marble Sands 8 11-4 David Killahena & Graeme McPherson Kielan Woods 15/8
2 3¾ Colonel Harry 7 11-10 Jamie Snowden Gavin Sheehan 11/8
3 2½ Traprain Law 6 11-4 Lucinda Russell Patrick Wadge 9/2
4 41 Top Of The Bill 8 11-4 Nigel Twiston-Davies Jordan Nailor 15/2
NR 2 Grey Dawning 7 11-10 Dan Skelton NON RUNNER
