Tronador entitled to Max respect in Stayers Handicap

IT QUITE often pays to follow National Hunt trainers in the big staying handicaps on the Flat.

Willie Mullins and Nicky Henderson regularly win races like the Cesarewitch at Newmarket and Queen Alexandra Stakes at Royal Ascot, and another leading Jumps handler looks to have a big chance of winning the Stayers Handicap (4.10pm) today.

Gordon Elliott saddles TRONADOR and conditions should be perfect for a big performance.

He’s always been a horse that goes well on good ground so the drying surface at York should really play to his strengths.

The seven-year-old is a more than solid campaigner over hurdles, so the fact he’s 48 pounds lower on the Flat means Elliott could have a very well-handicapped horse on his hands.

He ran perfectly respectably at Goodwood last time considering he was given far too much to do on ground that was softer than ideal, so hopefully he’s ridden a bit more prominently here.

I’m hoping for a big run at 8/1.

The other one I’m interested in is THEMAXWECAN at 16/1.

Recent form figures of 9300 hardly get the pulse racing, but this is his time of year as shown by his win at Ascot over this trip just over a year ago.

Jamie Spencer rode him there and he’s back on board, and I expect him to massively outrun his odds off just a two-pound higher mark.

With the World Pool in operation, I’ll add ZANNDABAD in a Quinella.

He’s done virtually nothing since joining the Tony Martin yard, but the Irishman has a knack of turning these types of horses inside out.

Ryan Moore is a very interesting jockey booking and his mount could easily be the proverbial ‘plot job’ in this field.

POINTERS

Tronador e/w                        4.10pm           York

Themaxwecan e/w               4.10pm          York

Tronador, Themaxwecan, Zanndabad

(World Pool Quinella)          4.10pm           York