Handicap Verdict: Ross Millar gives his thoughts on this week's movers

Noticing when a handicap mark is harsh or lenient can be the difference between finding winners and losers.

New ratings get announced every Tuesday morning for horses that have run within the last seven days, and being sharp to analyse the latest moves can prove extremely profitable. Our expert Ross Millar assesses this week's most interesting amendments.

NON-MOVER

Luttrell Lad was away from the track for five months before he shaped nicely on his return to action at Chepstow last Sunday.

He pulled hard in the early stages and his hurdling lacked fluency, particularly at the third-last flight, but he looked the most likely winner for most of the journey before weakening in the closing stages.

Luttrell Lad crossed the line just two lengths behind the Paul Nicholls-trained Silent Revolution, who deserves plenty of credit for a gritty display. A lack of race-fitness might have proved costly for the runner-up and he is expected to do better with this contest behind him.

The handicapper has left his mark (135) unchanged and I’m sure that he will exploit it sooner rather than later. His novice hurdle form stacks up well - he split the talented JPR One and I Am Maximus at Exeter, both of whom were in receipt of 7lb - and a fast-run handicap should bring about further improvement.

NEW ENTRIES

Sir Mark Prescott is known for his expertise in training handicappers to rack up a sequence of wins in their three-year-old campaign. 

Cappoquin, a daughter of sprint sensation Muharaar, could be the latest example. This filly has been given an initial mark of 72 and I would be surprised if she didn’t turn out to be a fair bit better.

She caught the eye with a strong-travelling performance at Lingfield last Wednesday. After showing an abundance of speed throughout the early stages, she charted an extraordinarily wide path around the home bend and finished to great effect to take fourth place. 

Her dam, Tecla, was a moderate performer over middle distances, but has been far more successful as a broodmare with all of her progeny recording at least one victory on the track. The family appear laden with stamina, so I’m confident that Cappoquin’s genius trainer will aim to stay ahead of the handicapper by gradually upping her in trip. A sequence of wins is a distinct possibility.

Two other three-year-olds, both of whom have been given an opening mark of 79, could make their mark for trainer Eve Johnson Houghton this season.

The first is Taratari, who finished powerfully to take third over seven furlongs at Salisbury on his latest start. His dam, Premiere Danseuse, was unraced but comes from a stoutly-bred dual-purpose family. Once he’s upped in trip, he is worth following.

Also put Suzy’s Shoes in your tracker. She raced keenly in the early stages of her reappearance run at Newbury last Sunday, but she stuck to her task dourly in the closing stages, which has to be commended. 

The form of her second run as a two-year old has worked out well - the first two home are now rated 90 and 89 respectively and she was less than a length behind them. She should be well up to winning off this mark over 1m2f or further.