16:10 Newbury

Friday 24 March 2017

All14:0014:3015:0515:4016:1016:45

Be Wiser Insurance Handicap Hurdle

  • 4YO plus  |   Class 2  |   2m 69y  |   Good to Soft (Soft in places)  |   7 Runners  |   Turf  |   Weighed In
  • Off time: 16:13  |   Winning time: 3m 58.20s
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Cloth number
Odds
Horse A-Z
Show odds
1
Horse silk
Optimus Primet148
Age: 5|  Weight: 11-12| J: N D Fehily| T: D Skelton| OR:  140
10/1
Listed Hurdle winner in France and sold to this yard for £110,000. Possibly shaped like he was amiss last time after a promising second at Huntingdon behind Robinshill. Freshened up against since then and first-time tongue-tie may help so he shouldn't be discounted off what looks like a fair mark.
2
Horse silk
Minella Charmert40
Age: 6|  Weight: 11-8| J: Tom Cannon| T: A King| OR:  136
8/1
Reverts to hurdles after a disappointing spell over fences. Best performance came on heavy ground so any rain would be a bonus but others have more interesting profiles and his tendency to jump left when last seen has to be a worry.
3
Horse silk
I'm A Game Changer30
Age: 5|  Weight: 11-6| J: R Johnson| T: P Hobbs & J White| OR:  134
13/8
Highly progressive over hurdles this season, improving with every start and he took apart decent looking field at Ludlow last time with the minimum of fuss. 12lb rise for that success looks at the very least fair and he ought to go well again.
4
Horse silk
Zarib22
Age: 6|  Weight: 11-5| J: Harry Skelton| T: D Skelton| OR:  133
5/1
Won a moderate looking chase at Leicester earlier in the season but doesn't look particularly well-handicapped and is prone to the odd jumping error. Others preferred.
5
Horse silk
Inner Drive494
Age: 9|  Weight: 11-5| J: Wayne Hutchinson| T: A King| OR:  133
9/1
Close second behind Grade 3 winning hurdler Rock The Casbah two starts back but poor when last seen at Plumpton and not been seen since that effort well over a year ago. May need this after an absence.
7
Horse silk
Maestro Royal55
Age: 8|  Weight: 11-2| J: N de Boinville| T: N J Henderson| OR:  130
7/2
Turned in a career best effort when winning at Sandown two starts back but disappointing at Cheltenham on trial's day when last seen. Robinshill, the horse he beat into second at Sandown hasn't really franked the form since and he needs to prove he's on the right side of this mark.
8
Horse silk
Prairie Townp13
Age: 6|  Weight: 10-13| J: Lee Edwards| T: A W Carroll| OR:  127
16/1
Runner-up in a three runner novice chase at Market Rasen last month and looked well beaten when falling at the final flight at Sandown last time. Still 7lb higher than his last winning mark and while he's likely to be winning again at some stage, this race is likely to prove too competitive.

Non-Runners

6
Horse silk
Tara River27
Weight: 11-4|  Age: 8
T: B Barr  J: Mitchell Bastyan
NR

Forecasts

I'm A Game Changer (13/8), Maestro Royal (7/2), Zarib (5/1), Minella Charmer (8/1), Inner Drive (9/1), Optimus Prime (10/1), Prairie Town (16/1), Tara River (33/1)

Verdict

I'M A GAME CHANGER appears to be on the improve and he looks capable of shouldering his 12lb rise in the weights after dominating a decent looking field last time out. Optimus Prime is a fascinating runner and he looks the pick of the Skelton pair having won a Listed contest in France. Maestro Royal looks like a solid each-way contender after his win at Sandown in January and he usually gives his running despite putting in a rare disappointing effort last time.
  1. I'm A Game Changer
  2. Optimus Prime
  3. Maestro Royal

Prize Money

1st: £9,747.002nd: £2,862.003rd: £1,431.004th: £716.00

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