17:15 Exeter

Sunday 8 April 2018

All14:0514:3515:1015:4016:1516:4517:15

Totnes And Bridgetown Open Hunters' Chase

Off time: 17:15 | Winning time: 5m 30.65s

Persian Snow^t²⁸

Age: 12| Weight: 12-6| J: Mr D Maxwell⁽³⁾| T: P Hobbs & J White| OR: 123

10/1

Unbeaten in both hunter chases last season but well below that form in two starts this term. Possible that reflects the stables fortunes, but he remains one to be cautious about until showing more.

Form: 63/11-6U

Delta Borget^p,t⁶³

Age: 13| Weight: 11-12| J: Miss V Wade⁽⁵⁾| T: L Jefford| OR: 111

20/1

Winner of four point-to-points but pulled on his latest start and work to do judged on last year's hunter form.

Form: 223-P4P

O Maonlai^t³⁰

Age: 10| Weight: 11-12| J: Miss H Welch⁽⁷⁾| T: Alexandra Dunn| OR: 128| D

7/1

Rated 143 at his best but appears to have lost his way lately and has joined a new yard. More than capable if the market indicates his recent troubles are behind him.

Form: 45-P256

Sadma⁷⁸

Age: 9| Weight: 11-12| J: Pte Alexandra Bell⁽⁷⁾| T: N Lampard| OR: 95

40/1

Won a couple of races for this yard in 2015 over 2m and so has to prove his stamina on a physically demanding circuit on heavy ground. Pulled up in his latest point-to-point and others have brighter prospects.

Form: 1341/4-P

Salubrious⁷⁵²

Age: 11| Weight: 11-12| J: Lorcan Williams⁽³⁾| T: Miss C Roddick| OR: 132| D

4/1

Rated 153 at his peak for Paul Nicholls, but reappears having been absent since the 2016 Cheltenham Festival. These conditions leave little room for error in terms of fitness, but the booking of Lorcan Williams is a positive move.

Form: 116460/

Tinkers Hill Tommy^t¹⁷

Age: 7| Weight: 11-12| J: Mr James King| T: Mrs Bridget Lewis| OR: 112

4/6

Winner of five point-to-points and also runner-up in the Champion Novice Hunter at Stratford. Best form has come on good ground, but he handled soft conditions well enough last time and top amateur secured.

Form: 12-1122

Wolftrap^h¹⁴

Age: 9| Weight: 11-12| J: Mr L Drowne⁽⁷⁾| T: Mrs K Heard| OR: 107

16/1

Rules form and latest point-to-point effort suggest he is a long way below the standard that will be required to win this.

Form: 5742P4

Non-Runners

Milosam¹⁴

Weight: 11-12| Age: 11

T: G Chambers J: Non Runner

Forecasts

Tinkers Hill Tommy (4/6), Salubrious (4/1), O Maonlai (7/1), Persian Snow (10/1), Wolftrap (16/1), Delta Borget (20/1), Milosam (25/1), Sadma (40/1)

Persian Snow will probably need to be at his best to win this on these terms and recent performances are not encouraging. Salubrious has to be feared despite his absence as his best form under rules included a Cheltenham Festival victory in 2013. The former Paul Nicholls' inmate has been off for two years and in these conditions preference is for the proven fitness of TINKERS HILL TOMMY. A useful point-to-pointer with some solid hunter chase form, James King's mount proved he handles soft ground last time and he looks set to go one better.