IPA Purchasing 'National Hunt' Novices' Hurdle

Off time: 12:05 | Winning time: 4m 3.3s

Ainchea⁴²

Age: 4| Weight: 10-12| J: R M Power| T: C L Tizzard

11/4

€155,000 purchase for powerful connections made a most pleasing debut in a bumper at Cheltenham where he cruised into contention before narrowly losing to Herecomestheboom. Will come on for that and looks a big player here.

Form: 2

Get Out The Gate²²²

Age: 4| Weight: 10-12| J: H Cobden| T: P F Nicholls

12/1

Son of Mahler cost €26,000 as a three-year old. Dam won over hurdles and fences. Won lone point-to-point in May. Represents top connections so no surprise if he makes presence felt on debut under rules.

Form: 1

Just A Sting³²

Age: 5| Weight: 10-12| J: N D Fehily| T: H Fry| BF

5/4

Won bumper at Bangor and Exeter last season before tasting defeat for first time in hurdles debut at Exeter although he ran a good race in second. Stepping back in trip here with that race over 2m5f but still merits respect.

Form: 11-2

Shanroe Saint¹⁷

Age: 5| Weight: 10-12| J: D A Jacob| T: B I Case| OR: 126

14/1

Best effort of his three hurdle starts to date last time out when a 3¾L second in a novice hurdle at Warwick. That is competitive form but others are open to more improvement.

Form: 7F3-362

Vango De Vaige²⁸

Age: 4| Weight: 10-12| J: Tom Cheesman⁽⁵⁾| T: P Hobbs & J White

66/1

Having only beaten one home on debut it was little surprise that he was 80/1 last time out but he belied those odds with a much improved effort to finish second although he was beaten 26L. More required to be involved here.

Form: 02

Whatswrongwithyou^h²²⁵

Age: 6| Weight: 10-12| J: N de Boinville| T: N J Henderson| BF| D

7/2

Point-to-point winner who won one of three bumpers (at Ludlow). Second in latest race at Perth as favourite but winner beaten in both starts since so others make more appeal.

Form: 2/1012-

Non-Runners

Mellow Ben¹⁵

Weight: 10-12| Age: 4

T: C Gordon J: Tom Cannon

Forecasts

Just A Sting (5/4), Ainchea (11/4), Whatswrongwithyou (7/2), Get Out The Gate (12/1), Shanroe Saint (14/1), Vango De Vaige (66/1), Mellow Ben (66/1)

This is a very big day for the Colin Tizzard team and they can get off to the best possible start with the promising AINCHEA who looked one to follow with a very encouraging debut at Cheltenham. The biggest threat comes from Just a Sting who won both bumpers before narrowly going down on his hurdles debut at Exeter. Also running well in second last time was Shanroe Saint and he enters calculations given he is clearly going the right way.