SHIRENEWTON trainer Grace Harris is planning a two-pronged raid on The Curragh’s meeting later this week.

In what will be the stable’s first foray over the Irish Sea, Just Glamorous goes for the Rockingham Handicap on Thursday evening and dual Chepstow winner Bungee Jump is entered in Friday’s Summer Fillies Handicap. She’s risen 11 pounds in the weights for those two victories and there aren’t any more suitable races in Wales for her. Both those Irish contests boast prize money of about 100,000 euros.

Harris was in the Chepstow winners' enclosure on Monday to greet Glamorous Crescent, whose victory in a 16-runner handicap was the filly’s first. She broke well from the stalls, which she hasn’t been able to do in some of her other races. Harris admitted she had tried everything to cure her of her aversion to a quick break. She seemed to be all right when tried at home, but on the race track it wasn’t always the case. They took the horse down to the start early and this may have calmed her down. It was the stable’s first success for prominent local owners Robert and Nina Bailey. Harris believes the filly will be better next year, when she will be a four-year-old.

This came an hour or so after one of the yard’s other runners had been disqualified after finishing eighth. In the middle of a race, Yet Another lost a weight cloth containing 22 pounds of lead that was being carried to make up for the stable apprentice’s very light weight. Keelan Baker had ridden as low as 7 stone 9 pounds in the last year. Ordinarily the horse would have been able to compete in handicaps after this, his third start, but due to being disqualified, that race does not count as a run. These two experiences on the same day typify the way that racing life can veer from high to low or vice versa very quickly.

Grace’s father Ron was also on the scoreboard at Chepstow on Monday. Broadhaven Dream, a three-year-old having only his fifth outing, broke smartly and went quickly over to the far rail. Left alone by the other runners, he was clear soon after halfway and won unchallenged. Another local horse, Chris Mason’s Aquadabra, showed her first glimmer of ability by running on to take second place, two lengths away. Stablemate Jaganory was beaten a similar distance into fifth place in an earlier race. Another Mason veteran, Edged Out, may outrun his odds in the 6.10 at Bath tonight.

Royal Ascot form was franked at Chepstow by the victory of Red Armada in the novices stakes over a mile. Last time out he’d finished second at Newbury, beaten a head by a horse called Biometric. He’s the one that prevented Frankie Dettori from completing a five-timer in Thursday’s Britannia Stakes. His mount Turgenev looked like winning until the 28/1 shot Biometric came to the bookies’ rescue.

The best horse on display on Monday was Saffran, who won the mile and a quarter novices stakes impressively and should go on to better things. Chepstow’s next meeting is on the evening of Tuesday the 2nd.

Two horses from the David Evans stable were withdrawn from their planned races at Royal Ascot last week. One of them, Ivatheengine, was sold just before it and has moved to a different trainer. Another horse due to run that evening at Ripon was also withdrawn. Most unusually, the yard has had only one runner since 14 June, and at the time of writing they have nothing entered for races in the next five days.