Tony McFadden provides an overview of the key things to note on Sunday.
Murphy bidding to enhance Market Rasen record
Olly Murphy is the leading trainer at Market Rasen since the start of the 2021 jumps season, with his tally of 46 winners 11 more than any other trainer has registered at the course in that timeframe.
Murphy's 46 winners have also come at a good strike rate of 25.4% which compares favourably to his overall record of 20.6% in British jumps races in that time. Murphy has a couple of chances to enhance that record on Sunday, starting with Gee Force Flyer in the two-mile-five-furlong novice hurdle (13:17).
Irish point winner Gee Force Flyer showed plenty to work with when third at Ffos Las on his debut under Rules, so it may have seemed disappointing, on the face of it, when he was turned over at odds-on back at the same venue. That effort looks better now than it did at the time, however, as the winner, Legendary Luke, went on to defy a penalty at Fontwell.
Gee Force Flyer's form is some of the best on offer here and he still has the Timeform 'small p'.
Dedicated Hero leniently treated on first start in handicap chase
Dual bumper winner Dedicated Hero enjoyed an excellent first campaign over hurdles last season, winning on a couple of occasions, most notably in the Grade 2 Sky Bet Supreme Trial Rossington Main Novices' Hurdle.
With that promise in mind, he made an underwhelming start to this campaign, failing to figure in a trio of handicap hurdles. However, a switch to chasing seemed to perk him up and he produced a much more promising effort when runner-up in a novice chase at Ayr last month.
He couldn't get on terms with a promising sort who is compiling an excellent strike rate, but, after finding himself short of room between the final two fences, he kept on determinedly up the run-in, earning the Horse In Focus Flag from Timeform's reporter to mark him out as one likely to be of interest next time.
By Timeform's reckoning, that was a better performance than anything Dedicated Hero produced over hurdles, but the BHA handicapper was unable to alter his mark on the back of that display so he now switches to handicap company and is able to compete in the novices' handicap chase (13:25) at Musselburgh off his reduced hurdles mark.
He comes out with an excellent chance on these terms and heads Timeform's weight-adjusted ratings by 6lb, while he also still has the 'small p' to highlight that further improvement is expected.
Talk The Talk the clear pick on Timeform ratings
Talk The Talk won his first couple of starts over hurdles but was in the process of showing much-improved form when coming down at the final flight in the Paddy Power Future Champions Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown's Christmas Festival.
That Grade 1 represented a marked step up in class for Talk The Talk but he looked at home in such company and had quickened up impressively and taken a narrow lead at the point of his untimely departure.
He likely would have won had he completed and he showed enough for Timeform to credit him with a smart rating that only Supreme favourite Old Park Star has exceeded among the British and Irish novice hurdlers this season.
There are a whole host of unexposed sorts in the Grade 1 Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle (13:40 Leopardstown), as demonstrated by 11 of the 12 runners having the Timeform 'small p' or 'large P'. However, Talk The Talk comes out with an 11lb advantage on Timeform's ratings so is very much the one to beat.
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