Jigsaw Sports Branding 'Introductory' Juvenile Hurdle

Off time: 11:55 | Winning time: 4m 6.33s

Act Of Valour¹⁰⁶

Age: 3| Weight: 10-12| J: S Bowen| T: P F Nicholls

8/11

Former Irish Flat racer (Michael O'Callaghan) with an official rating in the mid 90's. Has respectable handicap from over 1m4f, so without doubt an interesting hurdles debutant for his new trainer.

Form:

Embole¹⁶⁷

Age: 3| Weight: 10-12| J: Harry Skelton| T: D Skelton

10/1

Just had the sole start so far in a French bumper at Cluny (1m4f+ good, June 2017). Moved on for a life over hurdles in England, and his dam was a sister to the 2m5f-3m5f hurdles/chase winner Quentin Collonges.

Form: 4

Look My Way⁷⁶

Age: 3| Weight: 10-12| J: T Scudamore| T: J & S Quinn| D

3/1

Picked up from Andrew Balding for 70,000 gns at the sales last month, he's a two time winner from 13 starts on the Flat, as most recently as September at Ffos Las (2m heavy) when beating Champagne Champ by 22L.

Form:

Outcrop⁴⁴

Age: 3| Weight: 10-12| J: Sean Quinlan| T: J Candlish

8/1

Bought out of a Chepstow seller for 16,000 gns (ex Hughie Morrison). Seemingly didn't get home on his hurdles debut at Uttoxeter last month (2m good to soft), when a well beaten fifth to Knight Destroyer.

Form: 5

Wishmaker¹⁸

Age: 3| Weight: 10-12| J: Danny Cook| T: T Coyle & K Wood| BF

10/1

Had a couple of goes in junior bumpers this season (1m5f+ at Market Rasen and Huntingdon). Not disgraced in either of those starts, but this looks a more challenging assignment now switched to hurdles, and has stamina to prove in deep ground.

Form: 34

Shine Baby Shine⁸⁵

Age: 3| Weight: 10-5| J: Thomas Dowson| T: P A Kirby| BF| D

100/1

Improved on the Flat since upped in trip and switched to synthetics. A winner over this trip at Southwell in August, she finished just a neck second to Hallstatt on the Tapeta here in September (2m). Hurdles debut.

Form:

Forecasts

Act Of Valour (8/11), Look My Way (3/1), Outcrop (8/1), Embole (10/1), Wishmaker (10/1), Shine Baby Shine (100/1)

Not a massive amount of hurdles form on offer, with Outcrop the only runner in the field to have encountered racing over obstacles so far. Embole has a pedigree which suggests that his future lies over hurdles/fences, and he's an interesting newcomer to these shores for Dan Skelton. Look My Way has heavy ground Flat form in the book (at Ffos Las to boot), but he would appear costly enough at 70,000 gns, and the clear preference is for the Paul Nicholls trained newcomer ACT OF VALOUR. He was a reasonably solid, but unspectacular handicapper in Ireland for Michael O'Callaghan, yet he should be fine on the testing ground given that it'll be far less poached at this early stage of the day than later on in the afternoon.