Tony McFadden provides an overview of the key things to note on Monday.
Spike Jones weighted to follow up last year's success
Spike Jones won the staying handicap hurdle (13:52) at Lingfield on his reappearance 12 months ago and has solid claims of repeating the feat on Tuesday.
Spike Jones wasn't lacking for fitness last year as he stayed on strongly to lead close home and snatch the prize from the odds-on favourite. That was a second positive showing from Spike Jones over course and distance as he'd been beaten less than a length in fourth on his only previous outing at Lingfield. Those efforts have earned Spike Jones Timeform's Horses For Courses Flag, highlighting his effectiveness at Lingfield, while he also narrowly tops Timeform's weight-adjusted ratings off a BHA mark 1 lb lower than the one he defied last year.
Tuesday's contest also represents a drop back in grade for Spike Jones who was last seen contesting a competitive and valuable class 2 handicap at Windsor in January. He made no impact on that occasion but was far from disgraced in a running-on sixth.
Honeyball has fine record with horses returning from a break
Presenting A Queen is making her first start for nearly 19 months in the mares' handicap chase (14:10) at Hereford. However, she has won twice when fresh before, while new trainer Anthony Honeyball's recent record with horses returning from an absence offers plenty of encouragement that she will be fit enough to do herself justice and can take advantage of a reduced mark.
Gustavian's clearcut success in the feature Badger Beers Handicap Chase at Wincanton on Saturday offered the latest example of Honeyball's prowess at readying one after a break. Indeed, since the start of October, Honeyball has had seven winners from 21 runners returning from an absence of 150 days or longer. And backing each of those representatives would have returned a profit of £13.75 to £1 level stakes.
It should be noted that Presenting A Queen has the Timeform squiggle to highlight unreliability, in part because she has raced in snatches and hung badly left. But she returns off a BHA mark which is 5 lb lower than when last seen, and she looks fairly treated on the pick of her efforts. She heads Timeform's weight-adjusted ratings by 3 lb.
Princess Keri's latest form has been given a boost
Princess Keri's runner-up effort on her reappearance and return to hurdling at Chepstow last month seemed like an encouraging run at the time, but subsequent events have painted the performance in an even more positive light.
In a steadily-run race on quick ground that placed the emphasis on speed, Princess Keri was outpaced two out but stayed on well to get to within a neck of the winner, Sweet Caryline, earning the Horse In Focus Flag to mark her out as one likely to be of interest next time.
Those in behind had helped to frank the form, with the third and fourth home both finishing runner-up next time out, while the sixth, Just Her Type, was an impressive winner at Ffos Las. But the biggest form boost came on Saturday when Sweet Caryline followed up at Wincanton in a much higher grade.
Princess Keri, therefore, looks well treated off just a 2 lb higher mark in the mares' handicap hurdle (15:37) at Lingfield, where the ground shouldn't be quite as quick as at Chepstow so the race shouldn't present such an unsuitably sharp test. In a further boost to her strong claims, Harry Cobden takes over in the saddle and his booking has generated Timeform's Jockey Uplift Flag.
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