15:35 Perth

Wednesday 26 April 2017

All14:0014:3515:0515:3516:1016:4017:10

Phil Nelson Handicap Chase

Off time: 15:35 | Winning time: 5m 58.4s

Beeves^b⁴⁰

Age: 10| Weight: 11-13| J: Sean Quinlan| T: J Candlish| OR: 141

7/1

Was looking in need of respite from the handicapper until romping home in similar grade last time. A 5lb higher mark makes him look even more vulnerable now in what appears to be a stronger race.

Form: 518551

Cocktails At Dawn¹⁸

Age: 9| Weight: 11-12| J: J McGrath| T: N J Henderson| OR: 140

8/1

Has barely finished a race over further than 2m5f and impossible to fancy despite the yard being in flying form. Hard to find any positives.

Form: F-P4FPF

Ballykan^p,t¹⁹

Age: 7| Weight: 11-12| J: D A Jacob| T: N & W Twiston-Davies| OR: 140

9/4

Goes well in the spring and arrives here having finished fifth in the Racing Post and sixth at the Cheltenham Festival. Got no further than the third in the Topham but is sure to appreciate this easier test. Would like to see the yard notching up more winners but otherwise he is clearly one to consider.

Form: 3456F4-

Cultram Abbey⁶⁵

Age: 10| Weight: 11-11| J: R D Day⁽³⁾| T: N G Richards| OR: 139

17/2

Would probably have won at Carlisle last time before falling at the final fence when 7L clear. Up 4lb for that effort and this looks a hotter race.

Form: PF-275F

Bernardelli^p⁵³

Age: 9| Weight: 11-11| J: Craig Nichol| T: N G Richards| OR: 139

28/1

Unduly punished by the handicapper for landing an unsatisfactory race at Kelso where the fancied horses were unsuited by the snail's pace. Up against it here.

Form: P-3413P

Silver Tassie³²

Age: 9| Weight: 11-5| J: Joe Colliver| T: Micky Hammond| OR: 133

12/1

Stays well and handles any ground. Took advantage of a drop in the weights when obliging at Ayr but struggled off this mark last time.

Form: 566U13

A Good Skin^b1⁴³

Age: 8| Weight: 11-3| J: Adrian Heskin| T: T R George| OR: 131

2/1

Highly tried of late but has won two of his last three in this class. Dropped in the weights and stable have won three of the last six runnings of this. This is his time of year and blinkers are now applied.

Form: P-36490

Jet Master^h,t³²

Age: 11| Weight: 10-12| J: Grant Cockburn⁽³⁾| T: N W Alexander| OR: 126

16/1

Winner of a veterans race in November and readily vanquished in all starts since. Looks to have plenty to find at these weights.

Form: 137743-

Forecasts

A Good Skin (2/1), Ballykan (9/4), Beeves (7/1), Cocktails At Dawn (8/1), Cultram Abbey (17/2), Silver Tassie (12/1), Jet Master (16/1), Bernardelli (28/1)

A Good Skin represents a trainer in form who has successfully targeted this race in the past. Blinkers now replace cheekpieces in a bid to correct a dramatic loss of form. He has proved himself to be particularly effective at this stage of the season but he looks too much of a gamble judged on recent evidence. BALLYKAN is getting no respite from the handicapper but this looks a lot easier than recent tasks he has been set. His sixth at the Cheltenham Festival indicates he may be a cut above these. The rest look handicapped to the hilt and Beeves may have less to prove off his current mark than the others.