Best Wishes For 2018 Juvenile Hurdle

Off time: 13:20 | Winning time: 4m 2.30s

Blackjacktennessee⁵⁰

Age: 4| Weight: 10-12| J: David Noonan| T: S Flook

50/1

Wasn't beaten that far in a Towcester bumper on fast ground first time out but it was a different story at Huntingdon next time when pulling hard. No obvious appeal on his hurdling debut.

Form: 30

Look My Way³²

Age: 4| Weight: 10-12| J: R Johnson| T: J & S Quinn| BF| D

1/6

Dual winner on the Flat including by 22L on heavy ground at Ffos Las in September. Subsequently purchased for 70,000 guineas and ran well to finish 2L second at Newcastle (soft) on hurdling debut last month. Obvious claims.

Form: 2

Lord County¹⁴

Age: 4| Weight: 10-12| J: Ian Popham| T: O Greenall & J Guerriero

16/1

Flickers of promise in two completed starts in France but sent off a 100/1 chance for his hurdling debut at Newbury (2m, soft) where he wasn't entirely disgraced in finishing sixth behind the smart Style De Garde. Entitled to come on for that.

Form: F-556

Nigh Or Never^b1,t⁵⁴

Age: 4| Weight: 10-12| J: Adam Wedge| T: Miss R Curtis

33/1

Showed little ability for Tom Dascombe on the Flat and hard to enthuse about his hurdling debut for this yard at Warwick (2m, good to soft) in November when dropping away tamely.

Form: 7

Sommervieu¹⁸

Age: 4| Weight: 10-12| J: J J Burke| T: C E Longsdon

6/1

Made the frame in a couple of juvenile hurdles in France on soft ground but outclassed when pulled up on his debut for this yard in a Grade 2 at Doncaster last month. Should fare better here but questions still to answer.

Form: P2523P

Mirzam⁶³

Age: 4| Weight: 10-5| J: J E Moore| T: T Symonds

12/1

A winner on the Flat for Mick Channon at Chepstow in May (1m4f) and showed consistency on the level without following up. Didn't appear to stay on her hurdles/stable debut in early November but equally plausible she needed that run.

Form: 5

Non-Runners

Etoo Sport²⁷

Weight: 10-12| Age: 4

T: R Hobson J: Charlie Hammond

Forecasts

Look My Way (1/6), Sommervieu (6/1), Etoo Sport (10/1), Mirzam (12/1), Lord County (16/1), Nigh Or Never (33/1), Blackjacktennessee (50/1)

Question marks against most of these in the short-term but that isn't the case with dual Flat winner LOOK MY WAY who shaped encouragingly on his hurdling bow at Newcastle when just edged out by Act of Valour. That form may have taken a knock since but John Quinn's mud-loving gelding will relish these conditions and he is hard to get away from with Richard Johnson taking over in the saddle. Any value in the place market may lie with Lord County, though there may be more to come from Sommervieu after he was pitched into the deep end for his British debut.