Jamie Osborne’s Wales and The West aim to close the gap on The East in the Racing League's third meeting at Chepstow on Thursday evening.
The East, managed by Chris Hughes, dominated at Wolverhampton last week, winning five of seven races and leading with 365 points. Wales and The West are currently second with 263.5 points, and Ireland trails closely in third with 249 points.
The East will field just eight horses at Chepstow, which Osborne sees as an opportunity for his team. He commented, “The East’s recent performance was influenced by some luck, and they look vulnerable at Chepstow. We plan to hold steady early and make our move in the final races. If we can't use our 'home' joker this week, it will carry over.”
Ireland’s manager Kevin Blake is looking to bounce back after dropping a place last week. Blake is confident in his 13 runners, including Akkadian Thunder and Rahmi. “The East were outstanding last week, but we underperformed. We have good depth this week and need to capitalise on The East’s weakness,” he said.
London and The South, managed by Matt Chapman, are fourth with 229 points. Chapman hopes Oisin Murphy’s six rides will boost their points. “Lieber Power in the 7.30 is a standout ride, and Miss Attitude in the 7.00 deserves a win. We’re close to our position from last year and still have our joker to play,” Chapman noted.
Chapman also questioned whether The East has peaked too early and criticised Kevin Blake’s strategies.