16:25 Chepstow

Friday 20 January 2017

All13:4014:1014:4515:2015:5016:25

Bet 10 Get 30 At 188Bet Handicap Chase

Off time: 16:25 | Winning time: 5m 17.10s

Bredon Hill Lad^p,t¹³

Age: 10| Weight: 12-0| J: Lucy Gardner⁽³⁾| T: Mrs S Gardner| OR: 102

13/2

Steady run of form and comes here on the back of solid performance at Warwick last month. Only 3lb above his last winning mark and, as he has always been a better chaser than hurdler, he makes the shortlist in this company.

Form: 325F14

Phangio^p³⁵

Age: 8| Weight: 11-13| J: Stan Sheppard⁽⁵⁾| T: M Sheppard| OR: 101

10/1

Won here back in November of last year but has posted mixed efforts since then. However, his latest run was something of a return to form and has place claims if he can use that as a platform for a sequence.

Form: 37521-3

Long John²⁹

Age: 10| Weight: 11-12| J: James Best| T: Miss J Du Plessis| OR: 100

20/1

Shown signs of temperament lately and difficult to make too strong a case for him on recent evidence but he does have ability locked away somewhere. He is also 3lb below that of his only previous win, but is for the brave only.

Form: 3245-2P

Bennachie^t¹⁶

Age: 8| Weight: 11-9| J: Alan Johns⁽³⁾| T: Tim Vaughan| OR: 97

16/1

Still a maiden over fences but has only had six outings over the larger obstacles. Was a well beaten third on his latest start so needs to better that effort by some way if he is going to be a player in this company.

Form: 245P6U

William Money^t²

Age: 10| Weight: 11-4| J: Brendan Powell| T: Tim Vaughan| OR: 92

9/2

Dropped to a handy mark and one to consider if his interest has been rekindled by switching yards since his last run - he wouldn't want the ground to be too soft though.

Form: 211122-

Creative Boru⁷

Age: 9| Weight: 11-2| J: R T Dunne| T: Mrs L J Young| OR: 90

66/1

Very little to recommend from his last three starts and is not difficult to omit from any betting plans here.

Form: 739P/0P

Gardiners Hill²⁶^{(ex 7)}

Age: 7| Weight: 11-0| J: Paul Moloney| T: D A Rees| OR: 81

11/10

Won very easily last time and has been found a weak race to be tested under a 7lb penalty. The drop in trip is a slight concern but he has a much more consistent profile than the rest and looks to hold leading claims.

Form: 511143-

Catch A Thief⁹

Age: 6| Weight: 10-12| J: Conor Ring⁽³⁾| T: Evan Williams| OR: 86

16/1

Latest efforts have been lacklustre at best and he is yet to return any prize-money from seven previous outings. It's a fair bet that he will stretch that record to eight this afternoon.

Form: U768-58

Ballyegan²⁷

Age: 12| Weight: 10-11| J: L Heard| T: R H Buckler| OR: 85

20/1

Not the most reliable runner but does have some ability although a risky option for win only purposes.

Form: 35615-5

Edeiff's Lad^h¹³

Age: 10| Weight: 10-2| J: Tom Cheesman⁽⁵⁾| T: P Gundry| OR: 76

14/1

A lowly-rated individual but he is actually just 1lb higher than his last winning mark. However, it's worth bearing in mind that the handicapper assesses him to be 26lb inferior to the top weight and others are readily preferred.

Form: 133-4P4

Non-Runners

Triptico¹⁴

Weight: 11-13| Age: 11

T: Alexandra Dunn J: Adam Wedge

Forecasts

Gardiners Hill (11/10), William Money (9/2), Bredon Hill Lad (13/2), Phangio (10/1), Triptico (10/1), Edeiff's Lad (14/1), Catch A Thief (16/1), Bennachie (16/1), Long John (20/1), Ballyegan (20/1), Creative Boru (66/1)

A very tricky end to the card, which appears to revolve around whether GARDINERS HILL can cope with the drop in trip under a 7lb penalty. Phangio and Bredon Hill Lad can make this a good test, but both have their flaws. The latter does come here on the back of a solid effort last time out, so may represent the best alternative if the selection lacks a turn of foot at this distance. William Money is another to monitor in the betting as he is well treated just now but it’s difficult to gauge how he has transitioned since switching yards. 1. Gardiners Hill 2. Bredon Hill Lad 3. William Money