English/Ire
Marshman on course for Kachy defence
Connections of Marshman are looking forward to getting his 2026 campaign started in the Midnite Kachy Stakes at Lingfield on Saturday.
Marshman, who has won five of his twenty starts to date and scored at Group 3 level as a juvenile, will be looking to defend his crown having claimed the Listed prize twelve months ago.
The Karl Burke-trained six-year-old could only finish sixth in the Midnite Golden Rose Stakes at Southwell in November but syndicate owner Nick Bradley has reported the son of Harry Angel to be in flying form ahead of his defence.
Speaking to Sky Sports Racing, he said: "Because we ran him through the winter last year, we thought we'd give him a break and plenty of time. We're trying to get him qualified for all-weather finals day and take in some of the races he ran in this time last year.
"He kind of blew it at the start at Southwell, which if you go through his form, he has done before but in terms of his form at home, I'm not saying he's flying but he's not far off that.
"This has been his plan since November, and it was the obvious target."
Marshman could take on Harry Charlton's recent course winner Completely Random, who looks set to be partnered by Ryan Moore once again, while Andrew Balding's Cool Hoof Luke might be in line to make his first appearance since landing the 2024 Group 2 Gimcrack Stakes at York.
