JUST 22 runners will line up for the five races at CoinShares Les Landes

The feature race, the Polygon Collective Jersey St Leger, has just five runners. It seems odd to be running a race with St Leger in the title this early in the season

Only 22 runners will be lining up for the five races at CoinShares Les Landes for the first of three Friday evening fixtures, a disappointing, but not unexpected, turnout because, for the second time this season, there are no horses arriving from the UK.

The racing is also the first local sport to be affected by the changed ferry sailing pattern with the switch to DFDS.

The feature race, the Polygon Collective Jersey St Leger, has just five runners. It seems odd to be running a race with St Leger in the title this early in the season and before the Jersey Derby, when a date later in the season could be found.

The race appears to be shaping up like an Alyson Malzard benefit as she has the two highest rated horses in this conditions race.

Villain-turned-hero Maquignon has moved up the ratings from 64 to a mark of 79 and is certain to be a short-priced favourite. He is rated 5lb ahead of Malzard’s other runner and last season’s Derby winner Roi Du Monde.

The latter is 12lb in front of Caustic in the rankings while the other two are hard to consider off lowly marks of 41, Nan Brady, and Nature on 39. Maquignon has won so easily twice that it is hard to see him being beaten, but Roi Du Monde will relish the trip and there may not be much between them.

The Tommy A’Court Hurdle, a handicap sponsored by Maillard&Co, opens the programme. Diplomatie looks something close to a certainty while there is probably not much between Bigup and George Bancroft, both getting nearly two stones from the top weight.

Just three runners is poor reward for the sponsor and does not offer much interest for racegoers; the Race Club must think of ways of making the jump races more attractive.

The six furlongs 1823 Cellar Sprint is sponsored by Randalls and pitches all the usual suspects against each other again and the question is: whose turn is it?

Profit And Loss missed the last meeting on a vet’s certificate and, as the outstanding speedster of the last couple of seasons, he may prevail again.

Al Farabi ran well behind stablemate St Ouen last time and there won’t be much between them. Gemcutter and Cool Dandy can help make matters interesting.

There is a preponderance of horses best at around a mile currently in training and the La Verte Rue Associates Handicap, supported again by Mr and Mrs Anthony Taylor, is the best race of the evening. Cueros and Between The Covers are entitled to head the weights and could dominate.

However, Resilient Power came close last time and lurks near the bottom of the handicap along with Petite Fiametta who beat him in a similar event three weeks ago when serving up a shock victory; they meet again on the same terms and both will be assisted by the same young jockeys keen to make their mark.

Evening Song was only fifth last time carrying 3lb overweight, but had Countess Ciara and Birkie Boy behind her.

The finale is a low-level affair, the Party Van Handicap, over a mile and a quarter and sponsored by Randalls. As ever with this type of race, it looks devilishly difficult to weigh up.

She’s A Mirage just scrapes into this on a mark of 50, but some of her form is better and she is part of another strong hand for team Malzard with five of the nine runners.

Allegro Jété has prospered in this type of race and could bounce back after a quiet start to the year whilst the good-looking Flashy Apache is a winner in waiting for Karl Kukk.

The Ormer Gatherer, now owned by Vicki Perchard, makes his first appearance at Les Landes this year having last raced here in August 2022. He won a handicap over this distance at Lingfield in March when trained by David Bridgewater, but he raced off 38 that day and is now rated 9lb higher.

The Clerk of the Course, Glyn Mitchell, is forecasting good going and the off time of the first race on Friday is 6.30.