Donald McCain is enjoying an immensely profitable season. He is operating at a 35% strike rate at Carlisle this season and his four runners there on Monday are profiled below alongside an exclusive 888sport sign-up offer of Up To £150 AS a Deposit Bonus with 888sport!.
MASKED CRUSADER (2.10 Carlisle)
Having his second start for the yard after initially running in Ireland for Donnchadh Doyle, MASKED CRUSADER was runner-up on his stable debut earlier this month.
That came against the more experienced and potentially useful Git Maker, a two-time winner this term for Jamie Snowden. He was best of the rest quite comfortably and he was also third in a bumper at Punchestown last March.
He remains over the same course and distance at which he made his debut and should not lack for stamina on soft ground given his point to point efforts. There is definitely room for improvement with the races he has run in under rules looking weak apart from the winner last time out, but he faces only five rivals here and should be one of the most competitive.
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PUNTA PRIMA (2.10 Carlisle)
In the same race as Masked Crusader, PUNTA PRIMA will have Theo Gillard taking off 3lb.
However, on his last two efforts, he might need 33lb taken off his back to feature. While his stablemate has come close to victory on his two starts under rules, Punta Prima has not done so. A creditable fifth on his bumper debut at Sedgefield in December, he has been well down the field the last twice and needs to show something decidedly different to feature here.
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ARMATTIEKAN (2.45 Carlisle)
ARMATTIEKAN has gone up 15lb for his previous three starts after taking a couple of autumnal starts to get into his stride.
He won over course and distance back in October, doing so by a very comfortable 10 lengths. Brian Hughes rode that day, but despite he and McCain’s excellent collaboration, claimers Peter Kavanagh and Theo Gillard have been on the last twice.
Kavanagh partnered the eight-year-old to a second-placed finish at Musselburgh, but that could be upgraded given it was on soft ground where he would prefer good. He swiftly demonstrated that preference by scoring at Wincanton in November.
That ensures he has been off for over 100 days, so he will have to prove his fitness as well as that he can be as effective on a softer surface. This is a race in which the majority of the field are coming into it in good form too.
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TIM PAT (4.30 Carlisle)
TIM PAT had been threatening to win on his three starts prior to an eventual victory at Bangor last time out.
That run in Wales was his sixth of the season so far and fifth of the winter. He has been kept as busy as possible, and with his form in that time reading 53221, he is clearly improving with every start.
He was solid if not particularly spectacular in victory most recently, but he has only been hit by a 5lb rise. That could easily be overcome given his profile and none of his rivals currently have progressive form figures.
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