13:45 Musselburgh

Friday 19 January 2018

All12:4013:1513:4514:2014:5515:3016:00

Cosmic Case Mares' Novices' Hurdle

Off time: 13:45 | Winning time: 3m 57.37s

Autumn Surprise²⁴

Age: 5| Weight: 11-0| J: B S Hughes| T: T D Easterby

5/1

Mare who didn't see all that much Flat racing, but did okay when third on her hurdles debut at Wetherby in November (2m). Possible trip reasons for a more moderate effort since.

Form: 35

Dancing Amy^t1⁵¹

Age: 5| Weight: 11-0| J: S Mulqueen⁽³⁾| T: Miss Lucinda V RussellWS

50/1

Well beaten in a couple of bumpers spread over six months apart during 2017. Heads off over hurdles now following wind surgery, and wears the first time tongue tie accordingly.

Form: 53

Northern Beau²⁵⁷

Age: 5| Weight: 11-0| J: R T Dunne| T: M Scudamore

16/1

Showed very little on the Flat, but was a revelation switched to fences for Brian Jordan in the spring of 2017, winning a couple of 3m fast ground Irish point-to-points. Sold for £68,000 thereafter, and makes her rules NH debut at a realistic level.

Form: 1-1

Simone⁵⁰

Age: 6| Weight: 11-0| J: D R Fox| T: Miss Lucinda V Russell| OR: 106

5/4

Punchestown bumper winner for Shane Nolan, and a half-sister to Simonsig, so predictably cost £105,000 at the sales (Cheltenham) in June. Looks primed to have a major say following an excellent C&D maiden second to Canny Style in late November.

Form: 564-132

Toboggan's Fire⁸⁷

Age: 5| Weight: 11-0| J: W T Kennedy| T: D McCain Jnr

9/2

Raced for Ann Duffield on the Flat, but her form began to tail off after winning at Wolverhampton (1m+) in March. Tries the hurdling route now for a new trainer (same owners), but stamina reserves are an unknown.

Form:

Tokaramore^h⁶³

Age: 6| Weight: 11-0| J: Ross Chapman⁽⁵⁾| T: I Jardine| BF| D

9/2

Well related, with her dam being a half-sister to the tough 2m to 2m4f handicap hurdle winner Sillymore. Won her first two bumpers on decent ground at Kelso in late 2016, and very much needed her belated hurdles debut at Newcastle in November.

Form: 110-5

Hot Gossip¹¹⁴

Age: 4| Weight: 10-3| J: Sean Quinlan| T: Mrs Dianne Sayer

25/1

Beaten 20L by Eneko when finishing third on her hurdles debut in a quagmire at Perth in late September (2m heavy). That suggests she has the potential to better a non-descript Flat career, but probably only when sent handicapping.

Form: 3

Non-Runners

Shipwreck²⁴

Weight: 11-0| Age: 7

T: C A McBratney J: A E Lynch

Forecasts

Simone (5/4), Toboggan's Fire (9/2), Tokaramore (9/2), Autumn Surprise (5/1), Northern Beau (16/1), Hot Gossip (25/1), Shipwreck (33/1), Dancing Amy (50/1)

SIMONE is a promising mare on paper (a half-sister to Simonsig), but really ought to be taking this contest with relative ease if she has any real aspirations of recouping the majority of her owners £105,000 investment (June 2017) in time. She doesn't even need to better her latest C&D effort, beaten ½L by Canny Style, as a reproduction of that form alone should be good enough to take this contest. Of the others Northern Beau represents an excellent young trainer, but she also appears costly enough at £68,000 out of the Irish point-to-point scene, whilst Tokaramore has demonstrated in bumpers that she should have a reasonable future against her own sex over hurdles once she's back to full racing fitness.