'The ground is fine, the trip is great and he's won at the track' - analysis and key quotes for Uttoxeter's Friday feature

Harry Derham has already pulled one rabbit out of the hat in recent days and he looks to work his magic again with Dargiannini, who makes his comeback after nearly a year off the track.

Derham managed to get Washington to win following an almost identical 337-day absence at Chepstow last Friday on the talented but frustrating eight-year-old's stable debut.

Dargiannini has been much more reliable, winning three of his five hurdle starts for the trainer, having previously been with Harry Whittington and then Paul Nicholls.

As a nine-year-old with just 15 starts, Dargiannini has clearly had his problems. However, he overcame a six-month break to win a Pertemps qualifier at Kempton last November, for which he has gone up 6lb to a career-high mark of 142.

On Dargiannini's penultimate start way back in May 2023 in a valuable staying handicap hurdle at Haydock, he finished mid-pack in a race won by Willaston.

The Mark Walford-trained eight-year-old also lines up here and is just 1lb higher than when successful in that much deeper race, which came a month after he had scored at Cheltenham's April meeting. 

Connections might not be long in sending Willaston chasing again (he fell on his only try two seasons ago) but he is worth considering at an each-way price for a trainer who has been among the winners in the past week. 

Like Dargiannini, Lac De Constance has not run since last November. He has some strong form and looks well treated, but the absence is a worry.

With the admirably consistent mare Pretending taking on male rivals from a career-high mark, the most solid option in a race where all the runners are returning from some sort of break could be Ballybegg.

He goes well at the track and is on a workable mark if ready to go on his first start since May.   

Going update

The ground was described as good to soft on Thursday and the forecast is for the weather to stay dry, with rain likely to come after racing. 

What they say

Harry Derham, trainer of Dargiannini
He's had a long time off the track and has taken an awful lot of getting fit. The ground is fine, the trip is great and he's won at the track. He'll be trying his best, but I'd be shocked if he didn't need the run quite badly.

Olly Murphy, trainer of Pyramid Place and Tamar Bridge
Pyramid Place is having his first run for me. He looks at the top of the handicap and has come to me on a career-high mark, so life will be tough for him. Tamar Bridge has come back from a long layoff. I've done as much with him at home as I can and he'll come forward for the run.

Olly Murphy: runs Pyramid Place and Tamar BridgeCredit: Edward Whitaker

Mark Walford, trainer of Willaston
He's been kept off the track with a few niggly problems, but he's back in good form and there are a lot of horses having their first run for some time. He's generally needed his first run but we'd expect him to run well.

Lucy Wadham, trainer of Pretending
She gradually improved all through last season. This is another step up and it's against the boys as well. She's in good form and has been training well. She's ready for a run but she'll come on for it. I was pleased they only had 10mm of rain rather than 20mm and good to soft ground is good for everybody.

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