Race Preview: Heritier Returns to Defend Carlisle Title

Ursa Major sends out just the one runner today, with Heritier taking his chance in the 12:15 at Carlisle for Lizzie Quinlan, partnered once again by Peter Kavanagh. Peter knows this horse extremely well and gets a great tune out of him, which is always an asset around a track like Carlisle.

Heritier actually won this race last year off a 4lb higher mark, so we know the conditions, course, and setup are all in his favour. His most recent run was shaping up very encouragingly — he travelled strongly, moved into contention, and looked poised to run a big race before coming down. Importantly, he’s come out of that fall well and has been in good order at home.

Tactically, he’ll likely be ridden patiently, settled into a rhythm, and delivered with a late run up the hill, which is when he does his best work. If things fall right and he gets a clear passage, we’d be hopeful he can be right there in the finish, with every chance of hitting the frame — and not without the potential to win.

Best of luck to all connections and to everyone heading to Carlisle today. Let’s hope for a safe race and a big performance from Heritier.