20:05 Hexham

Saturday 5 May 2018

All17:3518:0518:3519:0519:3520:0520:35

Bobby Roberts Memorial Novices' Hurdle

Off time: 20:13 | Winning time: 4m 14.14s

Coastley Lane^t1

Age: 5| Weight: 11-0| J: Thomas Dowson⁽³⁾| T: M A Barnes

125/1

Unraced Bertolini gelding who cost just £800 as a three-year-old. Hardly bred for a jumps career, and debuts wearing a tongue tie.

Form:

Cudgel

Age: 5| Weight: 11-0| J: Ross Chapman⁽³⁾| T: J Walton

50/1

Unraced fourth foal by Sulamani out of the 2m-2m5f chase winner Posh Stick. Half-brother to point-to-point winner Ripstick.

Form:

Excalibur¹⁸

Age: 5| Weight: 11-0| J: Finian O'Toole⁽³⁾| T: Micky Hammond

100/1

Former Polish racer who clearly hasn't taken well to life over hurdles. Jumped woefully on debut over C&D in March. Quicker ground could be helpful.

Form: 597-

Farlam King^t1

Age: 5| Weight: 11-0| J: Dale Irving⁽³⁾| T: M A Barnes

66/1

Unraced eighth foal by Crosspeace out of the point-to-point winner Second Bite. Like his stablemate Coastley Lane, wears a tongue tie on debut.

Form:

Friends In Heaven⁹

Age: 6| Weight: 11-0| J: R D Day⁽³⁾| T: A Wilson

100/1

Picked up for £12,000 in May 2017 after finishing 10L second to Mushera Mor in a 2m Dawstown maiden point-to-point (good). Never involved on hurdles debut at Perth recently (2m soft).

Form: P/20-

Indian Harbour¹²

Age: 5| Weight: 11-0| J: Brendan Powell| T: Sally Haynes

6/1

Out ran his 66/1 odds when finishing third over C&D last month (soft), beaten just shy of 5L by Crixus's Escape. Hopes if building upon that improved showing.

Form: 726/4U3-

Montydarkdestroyer²¹

Age: 7| Weight: 11-0| J: W T Kennedy| T: J J Davies

100/1

His dam Markila was a 2m hurdle winner, and a half sister to past Northumberland Plate winner Ile De Re, but this gelding has been an infrequent visitor to the racecourse over the past two years.

Form: 05/P-

Saint Freule^h,t⁸

Age: 5| Weight: 11-0| J: D R Fox| T: Miss Lucinda V Russell| OR: 109

5/2

Very keen front runner (tearaway), and won't fulfil his obvious potential until curbing those traits. Solid chance on his best form, but refused to race latest and is a highly risky proposition.

Form: 65542R-

Swashbuckle⁴⁶

Age: 5| Weight: 11-0| J: B S Hughes| T: D McCain Jnr| OR: 115| D

5/6

Useful stayer on the Flat (rated in the 90s), and hasn't been disgraced in two attempts over hurdles, without necessarily looking a ready made winner. Beat Shine Baby Shine by 1L when winning a 2m Southwell jumpers' bumper in March.

Form: 341-

The Steward¹⁶²

Age: 7| Weight: 11-0| J: Henry Brooke| T: James Moffatt

6/1

Useful on the Flat for Sir Mark Prescott and while things didn't work out for him at Dermot Weld's yard, he made a promising hurdles debut at Catterick in November (2m good to soft).

Form: 2-

Wagner Klass²⁰

Age: 6| Weight: 11-0| J: C O'Farrell| T: R Menzies

50/1

Took a slight step forward on debut for this trainer at Newcastle last month (2m AW bumper). Makes his hurdles debut.

Form: 0/6-

Espoir Moriviere¹²

Age: 4| Weight: 10-10| J: Craig Nichol| T: R Dobbin

50/1

Half-brother to the useful 2m hurdle winner Cyrus Moriviere, and wasn't given a hard race on debut over C&D last month (soft), when a never on terms fifth of eight to Crixus's Escape.

Form: 5-

Kick On Dottie¹³⁷

Age: 5| Weight: 10-7| J: Jamie Hamilton| T: Ruth Jefferson

50/1

Far from a natural over hurdles (0 from 3), but off the track since December, so perhaps some improvement could be forthcoming with extensive schooling. Not a strong race, but hard to consider at this stage of her career.

Form: 6/5488P-

Tickerty Boo¹⁰⁸

Age: 6| Weight: 10-7| J: Nathan Moscrop⁽⁵⁾| T: B Ellison

33/1

Moderate form in four bumpers, outclassed in Listed company on latest effort at Market Rasen in January. Hurdles debut.

Form: 58/49-

Non-Runners

Satis House¹⁵⁷

Weight: 10-3| Age: 4

T: S Corbett J: Sam Coltherd

Forecasts

Swashbuckle (5/6), Saint Freule (5/2), The Steward (6/1), Indian Harbour (6/1), Satis House (12/1), Tickerty Boo (33/1), Kick On Dottie (50/1), Cudgel (50/1), Espoir Moriviere (50/1), Wagner Klass (50/1), Farlam King (66/1), Montydarkdestroyer (100/1), Friends In Heaven (100/1), Excalibur (100/1), Coastley Lane (125/1)

Not a strong novices hurdle, so a thick black line can be inked through the majority of the field. Swashbuckle must reside near the top of the shortlist on Flat form, but whilst he's done okay over hurdles so far, he's not appeared to be a ready made winner in waiting. Saint Freule has ability, but he's proving a nightmare for his trainer Lucinda Russell, whilst Satis House offered some promise early doors last season. A couple of these are worth keeping an eye on for handicaps, but today should be the day for THE STEWARD. He was a notable eye-catcher on hurdles debut at Catterick in November, and with similar conditions predicted should fare even better tonight.