Blue Square Bet Handicap Hurdle 3m
- (4yo+, 3m, Class 3, 8 runners)
- Winner £9,495 2nd £2,805 3rd £1,402 4th £702 5th £351
- Going: Heavy
- Surface: Turf
She Ranks Me - Merry King - Southampton - Spurs - West Brom - Everton - Liverpool (All To Win) 120/1
| Pos | Horse | Distance/th> | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 4 Alpha Victor | 11/1 | |
| 2nd | 5 South Leinster | ½ | 9/2 |
| 3rd | 3 Ely Brown | 4 | 3/1 |
Racecard
| # | Form | Horse | A | Wgt | Trainer | Jockey | OR | Naps | SP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1355F6/ |
|
8 | 163 11-9 | Adrian Wintle | Gerard Tumelty | 130 | 33/1 | |
| 3 | U203P-1 |
|
7 | 163 11-9 p | C E Longsdon | N Fehily | 130 | 3/1 | |
| 4 | 6013-16 |
|
7 | 162 11-8 | W Kinsey | Charlie Huxley | 129 | 11/1 | |
| 5 | 144-461 |
|
7 | 159 11-5 p | G Bewley | Jonathon Bewley (7) | 126 | 9/2 | |
| 6 | F162-F1 |
|
5 | 157 11-3 | P J Hobbs | T J O'Brien | 124 | 6/1 | |
| 7 | 2-110P1 |
|
8 | 157 11-3 v | N W Alexander | Lucy Alexander (3) | 124 | 12/1 | |
| 8 | 242-21F |
|
5 | 153 10-13 | C J Mann | Gavin Sheehan (5) | 120 | 11/4f | |
| 9 | 7-23P42 |
|
9 | 152 10-12 | N G Richards | Brian Harding | 119 | 8/1 |
Non Runners
| # | Form | Horse | A | Wgt | Trainer | Jockey | OR | Naps | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 02210/4 |
Barafundle (IRE)
28
|
8 | 1112 | Jennie Candlish | A O'keeffe | 133 | NR |
In depth
Verdict
Barafundle can be given a chance dropped in class after a decent effort behind Trustan Times in Grade 3 company at this track last time but ELY BROWN is preferred. He also drops down a grade after landing a handicap at Aintree on his comeback and Charlie Longsdon's charge is taken to follow up. South Leinster ploughed through the mud to score at Kelso last month and makes more appeal than maiden hurdle winner Joseph Mercer and Makhzoon, who only won a seller at Hexham last time. Duke Of Monmouth didn't get far before coming a cropper at Newbury recently but won well enough at Warwick before that and may figure.
Formwatch
Barafundle (IRE) 7-1 (11-3) Tracked leaders and keen, outpaced after 4 out, kept on and no impresion from before 2 out, 4th of 16, 12l behind Trustan Times (11-12) at Haydock 3m hcp hdl Grade 3 (1) sft in Nov.
Alpha Victor (IRE) 9-1 (11-12) Tracked leaders, lost place 4 out, soon ridden and behind, 6th of 8, well behind South Leinster (10-8) at Kelso 3m 3f hcp hdl 0-135 (3) sft in Nov.
South Leinster (IRE) 4-1 (10-8) In touch, led before 7th, made rest, driven 2 out, hard pressed last, ridden and kept on under pressure flat, won at Kelso 3m 3f hcp hdl 0-135 (3) sft in Nov beating What A Steel (10-8) by 1l, 8 ran.
Ely Brown (IRE) 9-2 (9-10) Prominent, not fluent 5th or 6th, led 9th, pressed from 3 out, mistake last, soon edged right, just held on, won at Aintree 3m hcp hdl (2) sft in Oct beating Buachaill Alainn (10-3) by hd, 10 ran.
Duke Of Monmouth (IRE) 7-1 (9-13) Led until fell 2nd, in a race won by Fair Along (11-12) at Newbury 3m hcp hdl 0-140 (3) sft in Nov, 17 ran.
Makhzoon (USA) 4-1 (11-1) With leader, led 5th, headed after 2 out, regained lead before last, soon clear, eased towards finish, won at Hexham 2m 4f sell hdl (5) sft in Nov beating Spear Thistle (10-12) by 14l, 4 ran.
Merrydown (IRE) 17-2 (10-5) Tracked leaders, lost place 4th, struggling 6th, stayed on from 2 out, went 2nd flat, no chance with winner, 2nd of 11, 10l behind Bear's Affair (11-7) at Aintree 2m 4f hcp hdl (2) sft.
Joseph Mercer (IRE) 7-2 (11-0) Held up mid-division, headway before 3 out, went 3rd before 2 out, went 2nd before last, kept on well to lead run-in, won at Uttoxeter 2m 4f mdn hdl (5) sft in Nov beating Ubique (11-0) by nk, 9 ran.
Shalone 6-1 (11-11) Held up in 5th, closed 6th, hit next, weakened 3 out, 6th of 9, 34l behind Thelobstercatcher (10-11) at Chepstow 3m hcp hdl (2) gd in Apr '11.