14:45 Hexham

Saturday 16 June 2018

All14:1514:4515:2015:5516:3017:0517:40

Andy Calvert Celebration Novices' Hurdle

Off time: 14:45 | Winning time: 4m 9.50s

Placedela Concorde^t²⁰

Age: 5| Weight: 11-6| J: Dale Irving⁽³⁾| T: M A Barnes| D

8/1

Cost a paltry £800 in September 2016 and left all previous form well behind when forging clear to win at odds of 66/1 at Kelso in May (2m good); hard to evaluate accurately.

Form: P/9P-1

Crushed¹⁹

Age: 4| Weight: 11-3| J: Wayne Hutchinson| T: A King| OR: 119| D

10/11

More or less gifted the race by the recalcitrant Jumping Jack when winning at Plumpton last month (2m good), but ran to a similar level of form when finishing third at Cartmel latest.

Form: 7-13

Calach^h²²⁴

Age: 6| Weight: 11-0| J: B S Hughes| T: J Ewart

5/1

Had plenty of time between his two starts in bumpers, but ran well enough when a runner up at Ayr in November 2017. Makes his hurdles debut after another absence, but is a half-brother to the 2m-2m3f winning hurdler/chaser Verni.

Form: 4/2-

Coastley Lane^t⁴²

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

150/1

Cost just £800 as a three-year-old and not bred for a jumps career; 125/1 and tailed off over C&D on hurdles debut in May; no chance.

Form: 0

Cudgel²⁵

Age: 5| Weight: 11-0| J: Jamie Hamilton| T: J Walton

150/1

Out of the 2m-2m5f chase winner Posh Stick, and a half-brother to point-to-point winner Ripstick, so hurdling (poor thus far) is unlikely to be his long-term objective.

Form: 90

Macardle²⁵

Age: 5| Weight: 11-0| J: Thomas Dowson⁽³⁾| T: P A Kirby| BF

3/1

Showed a modicum of ability in Ireland for Elizabeth Doyle, and placed in two of his four starts for this trainer, including when finishing 7¼L third to Kick On Dottie over 2m4f here last month.

Form: 44385-3

Mafate Fortin^t⁴³³

Age: 8| Weight: 11-0| J: Bruce Lynn⁽⁷⁾| T: K Scott

66/1

0 from 4 under rules for Keith Reveley and also a 12-race point-to-point maiden. Makes no appeal on his first rules start since August 2016.

Form: 2567PP/

Mutawaasel¹⁷¹

Age: 6| Weight: 11-0| J: Sean Quinlan| T: J Parkinson & S Smith

10/1

Six-race maiden who did manage to make the frame in a Sedgefield bumper in October 2017; better suited by the handicap hurdle option imminently.

Form: 75/3057-

Our Uncle Pat^h1,t1¹⁷

Age: 7| Weight: 11-0| J: Alison Clarke⁽⁷⁾| T: Kenny Johnson

100/1

A sorry tale in four career starts (including in two point-to-points for Niall Kelleher); all sorts of headgear now applied.

Form: UP-76

Solway Storm³¹

Age: 8| Weight: 11-0| J: Ross Chapman⁽³⁾| T: Miss L Harrison

50/1

Lacked fluency and pulled up on hurdles debut at Perth (2m4f good) last month on his first outing for 18 months.

Form: 370/P

Single Estate³⁶

Age: 4| Weight: 10-11| J: Callum Bewley⁽³⁾| T: S Waugh

50/1

11-race Flat maiden who tries the hurdling option now after being well beaten in a Ripon seller (1m2f) last month.

Form:

Dyna Might¹⁰

Age: 4| Weight: 10-4| J: Craig Nichol| T: Ollie Pears

33/1

Lost her way since a productive spell on the Flat at a lowly level in May/June 2017 (dual 1m4f winner); 100/1 and never really in the hunt on hurdles debut at Market Rasen (2m good) last month.

Form: 5

Non-Runners

High Jinx³⁸

Weight: 11-6| Age: 10

T: T D Easterby J: C R King

Siannes Star¹⁵

Weight: 11-0| Age: 5

T: B Ellison J: Henry Brooke

Forecasts

Crushed (10/11), High Jinx (11/8), Macardle (3/1), Calach (5/1), Placedela Concorde (8/1), Mutawaasel (10/1), Siannes Star (25/1), Dyna Might (33/1), Single Estate (50/1), Solway Storm (50/1), Mafate Fortin (66/1), Our Uncle Pat (100/1), Cudgel (150/1), Coastley Lane (150/1)

A race which is there for the taking for HIGH JINX assuming that he turns out quickly after an intended run at Aintree on Friday Evening; should he fail to take up this engagement, then Crushed looks to be by far the most sensible option in an otherwise uninspiring contest.