Menzies has big-race options for Boomslang The Scottish Champion Chase and the Ladbrokes Trophy are among the options under consideration for Boomslang following his impressive victory at Musselburgh on New Year’s Day. The eight-year-old has won three of his first four starts over fences for Rebecca Menzies, with a successful Irish raid at Downpatrick in October followed by a narrow defeat at Newcastle and another victory at Carlisle. He stepped out of novice company for the first time in the valuable Auld Reekie Handicap Chase in Scotland – and having gone up 7lb to a revised mark of 132 off the back of a near five-length verdict, bigger targets await. Menzies said: “We were delighted with Boomslang and he’s obviously improving away all the time, which is great. “The ground was unusually soft for Musselburgh on New Year’s Day and that probably suited him over two and a half as we know he stays well. It was a nice prize to win.” The £100,000 Scottish Champion Chase over the same course and distance as his most recent success is an obvious target on February 1, but Menzies also has one eye on a possible return to three miles and even bigger prize at Kempton three weeks later. “He could go back to Musselburgh for the Scottish Champion Chase, but if we did get Musselburgh quick ground it might be worth putting in an entry for three-mile handicap on the same day,” she added. “That race is worth quite a bit less, but if it was good ground it would probably suit him better and you could maybe go to Kempton with him after that. “He seems to take his racing well and looks a better horse going right-handed at this stage.”
