15:40 Wetherby

Friday 2 November 2018

All13:2013:5514:3015:0515:4016:10

bet365 Handicap Hurdle

Off time: 15:40 | Winning time: 3m 48.5s

Eskendash⁴⁴

Age: 5| Weight: 11-7| J: R Johnson| T: Mrs P Sly| OR: 124| BF| D

8/1

Needs decent ground to show his best and an impressive winner at Kempton on it in May, travelling and jumping well to quicken away after the last. May have more to come over hurdles and quicker they go here, the better his chance late.

Form: 3323-1F

Storm Rising^b⁷

Age: 5| Weight: 11-6| J: Charlie Hammond⁽⁵⁾| T: Dr R D P Newland| OR: 123| D

2/5

Improving quickly and won with such authority at the weekend at Cheltenham, not coming off the bridle to record an easy success. On same mark today here as that was a conditions race, and if in same form, he's the one to beat here.

Form: 215151

Cornborough⁴⁸

Age: 7| Weight: 11-4| J: Jamie Hamilton| T: M Walford| OR: 121| D

14/1

Useful handicap hurdler at his best, although has no secrets from the handicapper anymore. Comes here off a win on the Flat at Chester but still looks pretty much handicapped to the hilt and others make a bit more appeal.

Form: 52460-5

Sleepy Haven²¹⁶

Age: 8| Weight: 11-4| J: Sean Quinlan| T: J Candlish| OR: 121| D

40/1

Wind are few and far between (alst one coming back in 2016) but pays for his own consistency, with handicapper reluctant to release his grip. May want softer ground than this anyway and best watched after an absence.

Form: 326357-

Apterix⁵⁷

Age: 8| Weight: 11-0| J: D A Jacob| T: B Ellison| OR: 117| C| D

8/1

Very useful at best but on the downgrade these days, still capable and does pop up from time to time, but this trip probably a bare minimum for him these days and he's likely to find others a bit quicker.

Form: 45-5412

Blue Hussar^p²⁰

Age: 7| Weight: 10-12| J: Joe Colliver| T: Micky Hammond| OR: 115| CD

12/1

Has wining C&D form to his name and was far from disgraced on latest start on the Flat, so has some plus points, and is on a fair mark too. Acts on this ground and has the class to get involved, so is very difficult to discount.

Form: 112/64P-

Crushed^p²³

Age: 4| Weight: 10-11| J: B S Hughes| T: M Walford| OR: 114| D

66/1

Winner for Alan King at Plumpton last year but that was a weak affair and he never really went on from that. Well beaten on the Flat in a couple of recent starts too and plenty to prove now.

Form: 7-1358

Non-Runners

Dino Velvet¹⁷⁰

Weight: 11-12| Age: 5

T: A King J: Adrian Heskin

Silva Eclipse²⁸²

Weight: 11-5| Age: 5

T: J Parkinson & S Smith J: Danny Cook

Forecasts

Storm Rising (2/5), Silva Eclipse (7/1), Dino Velvet (7/1), Apterix (8/1), Eskendash (8/1), Blue Hussar (12/1), Cornborough (14/1), Sleepy Haven (40/1), Crushed (66/1)

There's a slight worry in so much as this race may be run at a bit of a crawl, which might not suit, but even allowing for that STORM RISING won so easily at the weekend that he must be the one to beat on the same mark today. That slow pace could count against Eskendash, so Dino Velvet, who will enjoy the likely quick conditions, and the capable but somewhat unpredictable Blue Hussar might be the two that give him most to think about.