14:25 Towcester

Thursday 21 December 2017

All12:2512:5513:2513:5514:2515:0015:35

totetrifecta Novices' Hurdle

Off time: 14:26 | Winning time: 5m 30.2s

Coeur Pensif²⁶

Age: 5| Weight: 10-12| J: D A Jacob| T: B Pauling

5/1

His debut form in a Southwell novice hurdle over 3m suggested that he may well be able to play a part in similar events. His one subsequent run at Ascot showed that he still needed more experience. Stable sprang a surprise in this last year.

Form: 2-4F

Earcomestom^t²²

Age: 5| Weight: 10-12| J: Thomas Bellamy| T: P A Pritchard

100/1

Has performed to a similar level in all three bumper starts. Bred to go even further than this and unlikely to have the speed to match the principals.

Form: 4-P008

Free Travel¹⁸

Age: 6| Weight: 10-12| J: Max Kendrick⁽⁷⁾| T: B I Case

66/1

Placed third in an Irish point on debut in April 2016. Entitled to have needed his comeback run but still has a lot of catching up to do.

Form: 3/0

Mr Jack

Age: 5| Weight: 10-12| J: L P Aspell| T: Mrs L C Jewell

50/1

Newcomer from a yard not renowned for debut winners and with a 6-123 record with it's hurdlers in recent years.

Form:

Pauls Hill³⁶

Age: 5| Weight: 10-12| J: P J Brennan| T: F O'Brien

7/1

Point-to-point form looked nothing out of the ordinary and he has underlined that impression on both starts for this yard.

Form: P2-06

Pull Together²¹

Age: 5| Weight: 10-12| J: C Gethings⁽³⁾| T: S Edmunds

12/1

Was going well before coming down three out here last time. The race had not fully unfolded at that point so hard to predict how he would have fared going up the final hill. A 1L third to Solighoster in a point-to-point suggests he has ability.

Form: 3/7F

Tommy Rapper^t1⁶⁷

Age: 6| Weight: 10-12| J: Harry Skelton| T: D Skelton| OR: 136| BF

4/11

Ran Willoughby Court to less than a length before a good third in the Sidney Banks. Not disgraced in the Albert Bartlett but ran as though something was amiss last time. Fitted with a tongue-tie now and faces by far his easiest task to date.

Form: 2/U238-7

Twentyoneblackjack¹⁹⁰

Age: 5| Weight: 10-12| J: Andrew Tinkler| T: M Keighley

33/1

Soon beaten when last of nine in a summer bumper and he needs to step up considerably in order to make his mark.

Form: 9

Miss Adventure²³

Age: 5| Weight: 10-5| J: Conor Shoemark| T: P W Middleton

6/1

Made mistakes on hurdling bow when splitting a pair of ordinary maidens. In good hands and has place claims in a race lacking depth.

Form: 32-2

Forecasts

Tommy Rapper (4/11), Coeur Pensif (5/1), Miss Adventure (6/1), Pauls Hill (7/1), Pull Together (12/1), Twentyoneblackjack (33/1), Mr Jack (50/1), Free Travel (66/1), Earcomestom (100/1)

It is slightly disconcerting to see TOMMY RAPPER aimed so low after after an inexplicably bad performance last time. However, his previous form puts him on a different level and he should make short work of these if near his best. Miss Adventure has place claims, particularly if brushing up her jumping, whilst Pull Together is a possible surprise package.