Star Sports Daily Specials Open Hunters' Chase

Off time: 20:00 | Winning time: 6m 20.6s

Port Melon¹⁸

Age: 10| Weight: 12-2| J: Mr D Maxwell| T: P F Nicholls| OR: 131| D

13/8

Dictated from the front when winning a Kempton hunter chase last time (2m4f) on quick ground returning from a year's plus break. Didn't need to be at his best to win that and should go close here despite the penalty; has won over this trip.

Form: 25546/1-

High Kite¹⁶

Age: 12| Weight: 11-12| J: Lt W Aprahamian⁽⁷⁾| T: P Taylor| OR: 96| D

20/1

Has won under Rules (highest winning mark 110) and is a winning pointer-to-pointer this year (runner-up last time). Likely to find this far more exacting than those exploits though and pulled-up on his last two Rules starts.

Form: P3C/712-

Letbeso^p⁷

Age: 10| Weight: 11-12| J: Miss K Lyons⁽⁵⁾| T: Mrs K Lawther| OR: 112| D

20/1

Fair hurdler/chaser when with Peter Bowen but finished a remote third in his only hunter chase for this yard at Fontwell. Has been pulled-up in a point-to-point since then at High Easter (5/1 chance) and will be this a lot harder.

Form: 2343P-2

Right Of Reply⁹⁴

Age: 7| Weight: 11-12| J: T Gredley⁽⁷⁾| T: J P Owen| OR: 110

11/2

Failed to win in four Irish point-to-points but did win a maiden hurdle when with Alistair Whillans by 12L. Failed to show much for Dan Skelton although didn't fare badly after a wind op on his first hunter chase run for this yard; place chance.

Form: 43/1564-

Royalraise^b²⁴

Age: 9| Weight: 11-12| J: Miss Gina Andrews| T: O Sherwood| OR: 117| D

5/4

Scored in consecutive handicap chase runs in mid-2016 but failed to impress for the most part in four subsequent handicap outings. Back from a break and dropped in grade to his first hunter chase he shaped well last time; should do better here.

Form: 1P/73F3-

Non-Runners

Sentimentaljourney¹⁰

Weight: 11-12| Age: 11

T: R Varnham J: Nathan Rahman

Bene Regina²²

Weight: 11-5| Age: 6

T: Mrs J Kent J: Mr Tommie M O'Brien

Forecasts

Royalraise (5/4), Port Melon (13/8), Right Of Reply (11/2), Sentimentaljourney (8/1), Bene Regina (14/1), Letbeso (20/1), High Kite (20/1)

Not a bad race of its type with ROYALRAISE taken to build on his sound run in a good-quality hunter chase at Southwell last time. Port Melon looks the biggest danger based on his front-running exploits last time out although he didn’t beat much at Kempton last time out. Of the others Right Of Reply looks to have a place chance with Bene Regina interesting on her debut getting weight from the field having run well enough in point-to-points.