16:15 Newton Abbot

Saturday 1 September 2018

All13:5514:3015:0515:4016:1516:5017:25

Thomas Dalton 65th Birthday Celebrations Handicap Hurdle

Off time: 16:15 | Winning time: 3m 54.3s

Regulation^b⁴

Age: 9| Weight: 12-2| J: Jack Andrews⁽⁷⁾| T: N B King| OR: 121| D

6/1

Running well in the main since winning over 2m at Kempton (good) in April. Wore first time blinkers that day and remains on a mark 6lb higher than for that victory.

Form: 627244

Chantecler^t¹⁷

Age: 7| Weight: 11-10| J: Harry Reed⁽⁵⁾| T: N P Mulholland| OR: 115| BF| CD

3/1

Impressive 16L winner over 2m1f on good ground here on his penultimate start. Finished a good second here subsequently and looks likely to run well despite a 4lb rise in the weights.

Form: 6-27612

Majestic Touch^h1⁴⁸³

Age: 7| Weight: 11-10| J: R Johnson| T: P Hobbs & J White| OR: 115

9/2

Maiden hurdle winner at Uttoxeter (2m, good) in May last year. Absent since and wears a hood for the first time on handicap debut.

Form: 82062/1-

Winter Spice^h¹⁷

Age: 7| Weight: 11-5| J: Tom Cannon| T: J Farrelly| OR: 110

10/1

Placed on both starts since joining this yard including when runner-up over an extended 2m2f on good ground here last month. Worth a check in the market on handicap debut.

Form: 32

Marettimo¹⁷

Age: 4| Weight: 11-4| J: Sean Houlihan⁽⁵⁾| T: W G M Turner| OR: 109

12/1

16 race maiden wasn't beaten far in a maiden hurdle on good ground here last time. Had Winter Spice in front that day and makes his hurdling debut in this contest.

Form: 526-525

Nabhan^p,t¹⁸

Age: 6| Weight: 11-2| J: Robert Williams⁽³⁾| T: B J Llewellyn| OR: 107

10/1

Beaten 9L into second over 2m2f on good-to-soft ground here at the end of July. Held on the Flat subsequently but interesting back in a hurdle.

Form: 8-72U32

Aldrin^t³⁶⁸

Age: 5| Weight: 11-1| J: T Scudamore| T: D Pipe| OR: 106| DWS

5/1

Maiden hurdle winner over an extended 2m at Bangor (good) in August last year. Held on handicap debut subsequently and returning from a year off having had wind surgery in in the interim.

Form: 315-

Treasure The Ridge^b³³

Age: 9| Weight: 11-1| J: J McGrath| T: M Hill| OR: 106| CD

9/1

Good effort in finishing 5L third over 2m1f on good-to-soft ground here last time out. Races off the same mark here and has won here in the past.

Form: 00-6653

St John's^p1³⁶

Age: 5| Weight: 11-0| J: Adam Wedge| T: Evan Williams| OR: 105

7/1

Placed on two of his four starts since returning from a break. Beaten 27L upped to an extended 2m7f at Uttoxeter (good) last time and the drop in trip is in his favour. Wears cheekpieces for the first time.

Form: 69-2534

Forecasts

Chantecler (3/1), Majestic Touch (9/2), Aldrin (5/1), Regulation (6/1), St John's (7/1), Treasure The Ridge (9/1), Nabhan (10/1), Winter Spice (10/1), Marettimo (12/1)

CHANTECLER has been in good form in recent starts and he can register a second victory in his last three starts at this venue by taking this competitive handicap hurdle. The selection has a promising conditional in the saddle and he can see off Winter Spice who has placed on both starts for this stable and has the trip and ground in his favour. The returning handicap debutant Majestic Touch can claim third on his first start since May last year.