Vaucelet among Irish trained trio at Stratford Vaucelet heads a three strong Irish team at Stratford this evening, as he lines-up in the feature Pertemps Network Stratford Foxhunters Champion Hunters’ Chase. Successful on this very card twelve months ago, the David Christie trained seven-year-old has won four of his seven starts since. A bad mistake at the last ultimately cost him when beaten into second by Billaway at the Punchestown Festival on his most recent outing. The likeable French bred will be ridden by Barry O'Neill and the pair face a strong home defence in this near three-and-a-half-mile contest, with last year's first and second, Law Of Gold and Bob And Co, among their nine rivals. Nine-time winner Not That Fuisse and Le Breuil, who was successful at the 2019 Cheltenham Festival, are other interesting contenders. There are two Irish trained runners in the preceding contest, the pointtopoint.co.uk Champion Novices' Hunters' Chase, the race Vaucelet claimed twelve months ago. The Emmet Mullins trained Its On The Line is sure to be popular with punters after recent wins at Cork and Tipperary respectively. It's also significant that Patrick Mullins makes the journey across the Irish Sea to partner this five-year-old gelding. O’Neill and Christie are represented by Ask D’Man, with this one third on his most recent start at Tramore, a place ahead of Its On The Line.
