14:25 Warwick

Tuesday 26 September 2017

All13:5014:2514:5515:3016:0516:35

Happy 60th Macca Handicap Chase

Off time: 14:25 | Winning time: 5m 5.1s

Zayfire Aramis¹¹²

Age: 8| Weight: 11-13| J: L Treadwell| T: M Scudamore| OR: 101| D

8/1

Easily best performance over fences saw him win by 10L in a Worcester handicap in June, last year. Lightly raced and not so good since, he has plenty to prove off this sort of handicap mark.

Form: 2/P1P7-4

Bally Lagan^v¹²⁷

Age: 9| Weight: 11-12| J: J M Quinlan| T: R Dickin| OR: 100| D

16/1

Won three handicap chases off much lower marks earlier this year, though two subsequent efforts were disappointing. Returns from a break and may be able to recapture his earlier form, but the handicapper might have his measure for the time being.

Form: 6111P-6

Red Square Revival^p,h,t²⁴

Age: 6| Weight: 11-9| J: T Scudamore| T: D Pipe| OR: 97

12/1

Won a bumper on his Rules debut a year ago, but efforts over hurdles and on his debut over fences last time have been hugely disappointing. Clearly has some ability, but the fitting of a hood, tongue tie and cheek pieces tells its own story.

Form: 18687-5

Dotties Dilema^b,t⁸^{(ex 7)}

Age: 9| Weight: 11-9| J: S Bowen| T: P & M Bowen| OR: 90

7/4

Former point-to-pointer who took his time to get the hang of things under Rules, but has been much better on his last two starts with wins over hurdles and fences. A 7lb penalty for his his latest win may prove difficult to overcome, however.

Form: 304311

Time And Again¹⁴¹

Age: 7| Weight: 11-8| J: Alan Johns| T: Tim Vaughan| OR: 96

20/1

Still looking for his first win after six attempts over fences, but went close when second at Chepstow in May and a repeat of that effort would give him every chance. Last two runs have been disappointing, though, and he returns from a break.

Form: 5PF23-6

Vote Of Confidence^t¹⁴

Age: 7| Weight: 11-6| J: Charlie Hammond⁽⁷⁾| T: L Hurley| OR: 94| D

50/1

Winning hurdler for Gordon Elliott, but has cut little ice over hurdles and fences for his current handler. Needs to show much more, but at least his handicap mark is tumbling.

Form: P2-PP06

Heurtevent²³

Age: 8| Weight: 10-13| J: Lee Edwards| T: A W Carroll| OR: 87

25/1

Has won twice over hurdles, but does most of his racing over fences these days and is 2-12 in this sphere. Last win came in May, last year, and recent efforts have not been encouraging.

Form: 6666-85

Pretty Reckless¹⁹

Age: 4| Weight: 10-12| J: Harry Skelton| T: D Skelton| OR: 98

4/1

Few four-year-old fillies race over fences, but that is the chosen route for her and she showed some aptitude for chasing when third on debut at Sedgefield. Stable leaves no stone unturned in its pursuit of winners and has found a weak race.

Form: 6946-03

Drumlang⁵⁴

Age: 11| Weight: 10-8| J: Sam Twiston-Davies| T: K Frost| OR: 82| D

7/2

Veteran performer who is 4-24 over fences and was a respectable, if distant second after almost a year off at Stratford last time. Interesting that this jockey keeps the ride and a 2lb drop in the weights makes him of some interest.

Form: P8845-2

Non-Runners

Ronnie Lawson⁹⁷

Weight: 10-13| Age: 8

T: Tim Vaughan J: R Johnson

Forecasts

Dotties Dilema (7/4), Drumlang (7/2), Pretty Reckless (4/1), Ronnie Lawson (6/1), Zayfire Aramis (8/1), Red Square Revival (12/1), Bally Lagan (16/1), Time And Again (20/1), Heurtevent (25/1), Vote Of Confidence (50/1)

Not the most competitive of handicap chases. Dotties Dilemma has won his last two races and, as he seems to save a bit for himself at the finish, could well defy his penalty. That said, he is vulnerable and although she comes with risks, the suggestion is PRETTY RECKLESS, who will be racing over fences for only the second time, is on a lowly handicap mark and hails from a shrewd stable which has quickly embarked on this course of action. Ronnie Lawson may be the best of two stable representatives, while bottom weight Drumalang can figure if he does not succumb to the bounce factor after running well after a long lay-off.