Lady Mendoza makes her return to the racecourse this afternoon in the Class 3 Mares' Handicap Hurdle over three miles and one furlong (17:10) at Cartmel. 

Read our Raceday LIVE Preview below and join us ahead of the race for all the build-up and live updates from the track with the team and Lady Mendoza's lucky owners for the day across our social channels on X (@coral) and Instagram (@coralofficial).

Raceday LIVE Preview

It's been 177 days since we last saw Lady Mendoza on the track, which has mostly been because of the everchanging weather conditions during the course of the winter months and trainer Rebecca Menzies wanting to wait for improved, summer ground.

Today is the season opener at Cartmel, and with conditions having dried up over the past couple of days, we're hopeful Lady Mendoza will get the ground she'll appreciate on her first start since November last year.

Lady Mendoza finished a solid second that day at Musselburgh towards the end of 2023, staying on stoutly to finish in second place, just a length and three quarters behind the winner, Autumn Return. Despite the close finish, she's actually been dropped a pound in the ratings following that effort, and as she's the lowest rated mare in the field today, she only has to carry 11st1lb, whereas the rest of the field will all have 11st10lb or more on their back.

She steps back up in trip today, making it the first time in her career that she'll race over three miles, but Rebecca Menzies and jockey Brian Hughes, who's ridden her twice previously, both believe that she will benefit from the step up in trip.

WATCH: Members take a trip to Howe Hills to meet Rebecca Menzies and Lady Mendoza

Raceday message from trainer Rebecca Menzies

"As we’ve said before, it was never the plan to keep Lady Mendoza off the track for so long, but the wettest winter we can remember meant that we could just never find her the decent ground she wants. We then took the decision to ease off with her, and it’s fair to say she really enjoyed that break, as she put on a bit of weight that took some time to get off!

She’s been working well for a while now, and we’ve taken her away for a gallop too, and we’re really happy with where we’re at. We made the decision to run at Cartmel rather than Uttoxter this weekend for a couple of reasons, firstly, she’s kept against just mares here, and there are only four against her for good prize money, and secondly, the going here should be a little bit better than Uttoxeter.

The heave rain a few days ago was not what we wanted to see, but hopefully a couple of largely dry days will mean it’s no worse than soft or even good to soft, and as she’s raring to go, it’s the right time to get her started again.

We’ve always felt she stayed well so the three mile plus trip should suit, and Nathan [Moscrop] knows her well. We hope she can go well, but as it is her first run for six months, we can expect her to improve for it, and that gives us plenty to look forward to, especially if we can get some decent summer ground."

Lady Mendoza's Owners for the Day

As winners of the Owner for the Day competition, 10 lucky Coral Racing Club members have been given the chance to enjoy an exclusive owners experience for Lady Mendoza's run at Cartmel this afternoon.

Each winner, along with a guest of their choosing, will receive free entry to Cartmel Racecourse, including exclusive access to Owners & Trainers areas. They'll have the opportunity to meet Lady Mendoza and the Rebecca Menzies team, plus get to head into the parade ring before the race begins to be amongst all the other owners, trainers and jockeys. And last but by no means least, each winner will get to take home an equal 10% split of any prize money won by Lady Mendoza.

Today's Class 3 contest is worth £13,350 in total, with the winner set to scoop £6,946 for their lucky owners.

2nd: £3,193.31 | 3rd: £1,596.66 | 4th: £798.33 | 5th: £399.17

Trainer and jockey form

Rebecca Menzies has had a fairly busy last two weeks, sending out eighteen horses, including one winner with Imperial Rule at Perth. This season, both over jumps and on the flat, she's had eleven winners from 141 runners, with two of those winners coming over jumps, from 28 runners. At Cartmel, Menzies has had five winners in her career, from 66 runners.

Nathan Moscrop is a frequent rider for Rebecca Menzies, having been onboard for the County Durham trainer 544 times in his career and being successful on 61 of those occasions. In the last fortnight, he's ridden for her once, finishing fourth onboard a 28/1 outsider in a big field. Cartmel isn't a track Moscrop has frequented in his career, having only ridden three winners there from 39 rides to date, placing on another nine occasions. 

Timeform | Verdict

LADY MENDOZA shaped well behind a likeable mare at Musselburgh on her most recent outing in November and looks sure to benefit from the longer trip, so she's taken to go one better. Fortuna Ligna was suited by the increase in trip at Perth and can go well again from a four pound higher mark, with Sinndarella not taken lightly, also.

Today's opposition

 

• Fortuna Ligna heads the market having won convincingly at Perth last time out, over a slightly longer distance than this contest. Prior to that, her only previous victory was at Chepstow in April of last year, when she was a heavy odds on favourite. Ben Godfrey retains the ride for Anthony Honeyball.
  
  
• Our Laura B is another former winner lining up in today's field. She's been successful in two hurdle races previously, both over two and a half miles at Newcastle, with the last coming in May of last year. Richie McLernon rode her that day and he's in the hotseat again this afternoon.
  
  
• Sinndarella is the only horse in the race that has won at Cartmel previously and that came four runs ago in August of 2023. Regular partner Chris Ward takes the reins this afternoon for Sarah Hollinshead.

   17:10 CARTMEL – LATEST BETTING HERE   

We hope you enjoyed reading today's Raceday LIVE Preview. Don't forget to tune in just before 17:10 to watch Lady Mendoza's next run for the club live on the Coral Sports app.