Dual-purpose trainer Hughie Morrison usually has one of two jumping stars to supplement his talented flat horses at his Berkshire stables. In recent years, Not So Sleepy has been the flag-bearer for the yard over the winter months but he was retired, aged 12, after winning on the level at Newbury in September.
If Morrison has a successor to Not So Sleepy, it could come in the form of SECRET SQUIRREL and the five-year-old gelding looks nicely weighted off an official mark of just 126 in tomorrow’s Ladbrokes Handicap Hurdle at Ascot (3.35 p.m.).
It’s a competitive event over the minimum trip in which Be Aware and Dysart Enos are at the head of the market on the back of their second and third respectively in the Unibet Greatwood Hurdle at Cheltenham last month. The form of the Greatwood is usually rock solid and this year’s race, won by Burdett Road, looked strong too.
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