Charlie Longsdon is hoping Paintball has better luck than he had at Aintree when he goes for the Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle at Haydock Park today.

Paintball was badly hampered in the very early stages of a handicap at the Liverpool track, having earlier shown a good level of form to win the Imperial Cup at Sandown.

"He hasn't had a very tough campaign. He won the Imperial Cup pretty well, but at Aintree his race was over before the first hurdle," said the Chipping Norton trainer ahead of the race better known as the Swinton Hurdle.

"He clipped heels, then almost got put over the rails. He could have been pulled up after that as his race was over before the first flight. He didn't have a hard race, so I'm hoping he goes there a fresh horse. The ground should be OK - there will be more grass than there was three months ago."

David Pipe is easing the burden from his two runners by claiming off them. The Nicholashayne trainer believes his pair have a stiff task at the ratings so has booked 10lb claiming conditional Francis Hayes for Arab League and 7lb amateur Michael Ennis for Dream Esteem in the two-mile contest.

He said: "They've both had very good seasons and because of that they are high in the handicap, so we are claiming off both of them. Both are in good form and they won't mind the ground."

Evan Williams is happy conditions have remained suitable for Charm School to take his chance.

"We took him to Scotland (Scottish Champion Hurdle) thinking that would be the last we'd see of him for a while, but it's not stopped raining since then," said the Llancarfan trainer.

"He'll love the ground and the faster the pace, the better he'll be. I don't like making the running with him, but that's the way he goes about things these days. He is what he is - he has no secrets from the handicapper - but a lot of the others won't go in that ground and he will."

Tim Vaughan is expecting a good show from Caravel, who landed an emphatic success at Taunton on his first run for the trainer. He said: "Caravel's in great nick at home and won nicely first time. He is sensibly handicapped and should be very fit, it's the ground we are concerned about - we'd have preferred it faster."



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