AFTER all the excitement of the dinosaurs appearing at Chepstow on the Bank Holiday, this week’s Monday meeting was a little more down to earth.

There were doubles for Oisin Murphy and Rossa Ryan, but the most pleasing result for the locals came in the seven furlong handicap for older horses. Grace Harris’ Bungee Jump led all the way to achieve her fourth course win from five starts at her home course. Sir Roderic was second throughout, and pestered the filly in the last quarter of a mile, but to no avail; she galloped on gamely to win by three quarters of a length. Since the Shirenewton trainer bought her out of a claimer for £10,000 in April 2018 the filly has rarely finished out of the money, winning four races, being placed in several others and earning £40,000 in prize money.

Harris’ two-year-old filly Port Noir is slowly getting her act together and ran her best race to date at Wolverhampton on Friday, going down by a nose. That was over six furlongs, and at the other end of the spectrum her seven-years-older stablemate Field Exhibition was a close second in a two mile five furlong chase the next day.

Also at Chepstow, David Evans’ Essenaitch ran well in front for a long way and is well handicapped. His best performances have all been when the word “soft” has appeared in the going description.

Ron Harris’ good summer form shows little sign of abating. Although the Earlswood stable didn’t have a winner in the last week, four second places from five runners shows that their horses are in good heart. In the last fortnight they have finished 1412213622522. Harris’ useful juvenile Don’t Stop Dancing was due to run at Salisbury on Tuesday evening, with a valuable sales race at Newmarket early next month his ultimate target.

Having improved this year to bring his career record to 5-21, Eye Of The Water is now rated in the 80s and is able to compete in better races. He is entered in a couple at Ascot on Friday and one at York on Sunday. Some give in the going wouldn’t go amiss.

There are only two more flat fixtures at Chepstow this season, on the 12th and the 17th of this month, before jumping takes over. During his annual owners’ day at Ditcheat, Paul Nicholls reported that his RSA winner Topofthegame is being aimed at the Ladbroke Trophy and the Cheltenham Gold Cup, and that he could open his campaign in a novice chase at Chepstow during their Jump Season Opener. This year the two-day fixture is on a Friday and Saturday, the 11th and 12th of October. It’s invariably a good guide for the big races leading up to Christmas.