12:25 Catterick

Monday 1 January 2018

All12:2513:0013:3514:1014:4515:20

Happy New Year Novices' Hurdle

Off time: 12:25 | Winning time: 5m 2.30s

Blottos²⁴

Age: 6| Weight: 11-8| J: Danny Cook| T: J Parkinson & S Smith

11/4

Showed plenty of improvement to get off the mark at Sedgefield last time out. Progressing again is perfectly possible and would see him go close in this deeper contest.

Form: 3376-F1

Dieg Man³⁴

Age: 5| Weight: 11-8| J: N P Madden| T: N P Mulholland| OR: 130

2/5

Won even better than his 4/5 price tag suggested he would at Sedgefield on British debut last time out. Conditions here should suit and he has leading claims to make it 2/2 in this country.

Form: 543-211

Big Thunder^p⁴

Age: 8| Weight: 11-2| J: Mr Joe Wright⁽⁷⁾| T: Micky Hammond| OR: 114

16/1

Shaped promisingly at Ayr two starts ago before refusing at the first at Catterick last time out. Obviously needs to avoid a similar incident here but the return to this trip is a positive.

Form: 7/63-R

Grimthorpe¹³

Age: 7| Weight: 11-2| J: A Nicol| T: Miss T Jackson

150/1

Beat just one horse home in two minor bumpers. Tough to see him transferring that sort of form to a winning hurdling debut here.

Form: 8-8

Mission Trio^p1³¹

Age: 6| Weight: 11-2| J: J Kington⁽³⁾| T: P Holmes

150/1

Well-beaten in two bumpers and two novice hurdles so far. Cheek pieces tried now but has surely too much to find.

Form: 78-09

Take Em Out^t³²

Age: 6| Weight: 11-2| J: Alan Johns| T: Tim Vaughan

16/1

Progressed from his mixed bumper form to run well in defeat at Taunton last time out debut over hurdles. Entitled to improve for this step up in trip and could well hit the frame.

Form: 2225-84

Chocolat Noir¹³

Age: 5| Weight: 10-9| J: Henry Brooke| T: M Todhunter

40/1

Beaten 29L on hurdling debut last time out having been a nine race maiden on the Flat. Showed some potential there but needs improvement to get involved in this.

Form: 5

Non-Runners

Teals Lad⁴⁴⁶

Weight: 11-2| Age: 9

T: L R James J: Mr Garry Lavery

Forecasts

Dieg Man (2/5), Blottos (11/4), Big Thunder (16/1), Take Em Out (16/1), Chocolat Noir (40/1), Teals Lad (100/1), Mission Trio (150/1), Grimthorpe (150/1)

This looks to be a match between DIEG MAN and Blottos. The former gets the nod purely because of how impressive his British debut at Sedgefield last time out was, when he justified odds-on favouritism to win by 12L. It looked like there should be plenty more to come and he is taken to get the better of the second-named, who won nicely at the same course last time to get off the mark over hurdles at the second time of asking. If improving on a fair hurdling debut at Taunton last time out Take Em Out could be third best.