Top commentator Simon Holt previews Saturday's action at Haydock with David Pipe fancied to have a good day including with winning machine Main Fact.
Small but high quality fields are a feature of the meeting at Ascot on Saturday and there may be better punting opportunities at Haydock where trainer David Pipe and his conditional Fergus Gillard could have a memorable afternoon beginning with UMBRIGADO in the Betfair Racing Only Bettor Handicap Hurdle over two miles and three furlongs.
Expensively-bought, the six-year-old showed plenty of promise in his novice days and ran an eye-catching race on this card 12 months ago in the three-mile handicap in which he travelled smoothly into the straight, jumped the last two flights in third place but then failed to get home.
While just two subsequent runs were not so good, he looks potentially well-handicapped here returning to Haydock over this shorter distance off a 3lb lower mark and with Gillard claiming an additional 7lb.
Umbrigado, who won first time out for Pipe in 2018, clearly goes well fresh and the theory that he may be on a good mark is endorsed by an impressive defeat of the 141 rated Ask Dillon off level weights at Exeter early on last year.
Pipe and Gillard also have serious claims with the prolific MAIN FACT in the Betfair Exchange Stayers' Handicap Hurdle, the race in which Umbrigado caught the eye 12 months ago.
This remarkable improver has won his last eight starts over jumps and on the Flat, completing a three-timer under the latter code when easily accounting for the four-timer-seeking Call My Bluff in a two-mile handicap at Nottingham earlier in the month.
Main Fact's jumping mark - up 15lb for a wide margin win at Uttoxeter in March - is some 69lb higher than his Flat rating (when the difference in the two scales is normally between 35-40lb) but Gillard again takes off 7lb and the gelding could be open to even more improvement now trying three miles on his favoured soft ground.
At this stage of his career, this is a horse who has forgotten how to lose.
Posted at 1440 GMT on 20/11/20
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