In a Cheltenham Festival preview in March, ratings experts Timeform wrote "we feel the official assessor has been very generous by dropping Southfield Royale 6lbs for his low-key return in the Sky Bet Chase at Doncaster in late-January.
"Granted, he finished 12th of the 14 runners, but things went wrong from an early stage as he blundered at the first fence and was hampered at the second. He was also entitled to be rusty after nine months off."
Sent off at 7/1 for the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Amateur Riders' Handicap Chase he got no further than the ninth which trainer Neil Mulholland described as 'particularly frustrating as we felt he had a great chance'.
All in all the season was a write off with a setback ruling him out until the second half of the season and then that fall at Cheltenham followed by an admittedly disappointing run in the Scottish Grand National for which the handicapper dropped him by another 3lbs.
Southfield Royale may not progress as had once been anticipated and Timeform and others may have to reassess the view that he is generously treated but I think he is well worth another chance.
At just seven years of age and with only 15 starts under his belt, there is plenty of time for the Presenting gelding to set the record straight. His first season over fences was full of promise with a Grade Two victory at Doncaster followed by a Grade One second to Tea For Two at Kempton over Christmas before he went to Cheltenham as the 4/1 favourite for the National Hunt Chase, finishing fourth behind Minella Rocco, Native River and Measureofmydreams.
He is rated just 138 now having been as high as 147 over fences and he retains the potential to far exceed that latter racing if Mulholland can get his career back on track.The Wiltshire handler hasn't enjoyed an awful lot of luck in this race, seeing The Young Master disqualified after a "computer systems failure" at Weatherbys.
Since that calamitous day in 2014, he has sent out Carole's Destrier to finish fifth, under top-weight, and Fingerontheswitch to be third. This is clearly a race that he has his runners primed for and he has four entered this time around with The Young Master and Carole's Destrier potentially back for more with Betbright Handicap Chase winner Pilgrims Bay completing the quartet.
Southfield Royale is undoubtedly the best handicapped of them and at a top price of 14/1, he's well worth backing in the hope that he's allowed to take his chance on Saturday.
Recommended bet
2pts e.w. Southfield Royale in Badger Ales Trophy at Wincanton at 14/1
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