15:05 Wetherby

Tuesday 20 March 2018

All14:0014:3015:0515:4016:1016:4517:15

Bet At racinguk.com Handicap Hurdle

Off time: 15:05 | Winning time: 4m 14.61s

Quest For Life²⁷

Age: 6| Weight: 11-12| J: Jamie Hamilton| T: M Walford| OR: 120

10/3

Has so far flattered to deceive and been reasonably expensive to follow, making the frame in 5-6 starts. Best effort was here over C&D (soft) in December in a novices' contest. Now goes handicapping and needs to be at his best from this mark.

Form: 232273

Final Choice^p³⁸

Age: 5| Weight: 11-10| J: Ben Hicks⁽¹⁰⁾| T: W Greatrex| OR: 118| D

4/1

Won a juvenile contest at Newbury (2m) last season before losing his way. Went well back there on his reappearance in January, beaten 11½L from 2lb higher. Didn't see out 2m4f on heavy last time, but short-listed over this trip with 10lb claimed.

Form: 1440-36

Brave Spartacus¹⁷¹

Age: 12| Weight: 11-9| J: Miss E Todd⁽⁷⁾| T: G Boanas| OR: 117| D

20/1

Effective from 2m-2m5½f over both hurdles/fences. Better over the latter and on ground less testing than forecast. Also, has yet to win after a break, so other than decent recent form for his trainer, others make more appeal.

Form: 32251P

Monfass^h³⁶

Age: 7| Weight: 11-9| J: Lorcan Murtagh⁽⁵⁾| T: R Dobbin| OR: 117

5/2

Won off a mark of 105 this time last year at Doncaster (2m½f, good to soft) and added a Carlisle success from 2lb higher in December (soft). Unraced on heavy but has proved competitive from similar marks of late and enters calculations.

Form: 77-8133

Bonne Question³⁶

Age: 9| Weight: 10-13| J: Charlie Deutsch| T: Miss V Williams| OR: 107| D

8/1

Persistence paid off when he put a string of placed runs behind him with a Southwell maiden hurdle win (1m7½f, soft) in 2016. Not seen again until last month, when beaten 53L. Entitled to need that and could do better after 5lb drop.

Form: 3222/1-9

Dark And Dangerous²⁶

Age: 10| Weight: 10-10| J: Amie Waugh⁽⁷⁾| T: S Waugh| OR: 104| D

6/1

Ran up a hat-trick at Sedgefield this time last year (all 2m1f, soft), the last of them being from just 1lb higher than today. Went well from this mark back there last time and not ruled out if he can reproduce it on this more galloping track.

Form: 825562

Snowed In^p²⁹

Age: 9| Weight: 10-0| J: Sean Quinlan| T: B Butterworth| OR: 93| D

12/1

Has recorded his last three wins at Catterick on good to soft/soft ground. 3lb higher today than the most recent of those on New Year's Day and not as effective since then from similar marks/on heavy ground. Looks up against it.

Form: 0P1540

Non-Runners

Big Thunder¹⁷

Weight: 11-3| Age: 8

T: Micky Hammond J: Finian O'Toole

Forecasts

Monfass (5/2), Quest For Life (10/3), Final Choice (4/1), Dark And Dangerous (6/1), Bonne Question (8/1), Big Thunder (8/1), Snowed In (12/1), Brave Spartacus (20/1)

An interesting contest where FINAL CHOICE is the suggestion now dropped back to this trip and with 10lb claimed off his back. Quest For Life carries risks on his handicap intro, but if he can run to the level of form he showed here in December then he won't be far away. Fellow handicap debutante Big Thunder is well worth a check in the market, as he could have a bit up his sleeve here, while Bonne Question is another to keep an eye on in the betting after he blew the cobwebs off last time and is dropped 5lb. Monfass and Dark And Dangerous should both be competitive.