Lady Villanelle & Stolen Money head down to Carlisle on Monday

Quite an interesting card at Carlisle on Monday with a cracking 2 mile Graduation Chase the highlight. Either side of that race, we've got a couple of runners.
A bit drizzly, but not too bad temperature wise for mid November, good to soft with soft places on hurdles course.

First up is TD9 Racing's Lady Villanelle (Callum Bewley) in the 2m 1f Mares' handicap hurdle at 1.35. This is a qualifier for the Go North (formerly Northern Lights) Series which culminate in late March.
There's still 3 or 4 horses here who are fit from the flat or have been summer hurdling up against those making their seasonal debut, this has the feel of a tight handicap.

Marta des Mottes takes a drop in class from the company she kept last season in juvenile hurdles and could well benefit from a wind op.
Evita du Mesnil was in fine form in the Spring on soft ground and can be expected to go well after a layoff while at the other end of the spectrum Rebecca's Set in Stone who won a hurdle last time after a flat campaign. If she handles the softer ground a 5lb penalty may not stop her.

A couple of our horses seemed to be in need of the outing recently but Lady Villanelle should be fairly straight on her seasonal bow. On bare form, it could be argued that she is a bit high in the weights though.

Good luck to Callum and the lads from TD9 (John, Wee Davie, Greg and Ian).

Lady Villanelle (Laura) and Stolen Money (Connor) pictured in a work gallop last week

Onto the final race on the card at 3.40, a 3m 123yd handicap hurdle, in which Stolen Money (Craig Nichol) runs in the stable colours.
This Prince Flori gelding is a lovely, genuine sort - a future staying chaser for sure - and would have appreciated more cut in the ground. But, like the mare above, this lightly raced sort will be straight enough for this first run of the season and be sure to be giving his best.

There are several in this race that would need personal bests to win such as Lissen to the Lady, Tomorrow's Angel and Loughermore. Last time out winners The Ogle Gogle man and Headscarf Lil have been raised in the weights but not by as much to discount their chances. They could well be involved in the finish here.
And from deepest Perthshire, Stylish Moment and Niceandeasy will be fancied to go close too.

Stolen Money starts the season on OR99 which is fairly attractive but the ground may not be quite testing enough here.