15:05 Hereford

Wednesday 28 November 2018

All12:3513:0513:3514:0514:3515:0515:40

Dreams Of Sri Lanka Handicap Chase

Off time: 15:08 | Winning time: 6m 49.8s

Firebird Flyer²⁵¹

Age: 11| Weight: 12-2| J: Isabel Williams⁽⁷⁾| T: Evan Williams| OR: 112

7/1

2016 Midlands Grand National winner but that seems an eternity ago now, having fallen a whopping 26lb in the weights since; tailed-off when last in competitive action in March; revival unlikely around this sharp right-handed track.

Form: P/3F889-

Againn Dul Aghaidh²⁹

Age: 7| Weight: 12-2| J: Brendan Powell| T: A E Jones| OR: 112

25/1

5-11 in PTP's but seldom seen under rules; started 3/1f for the prestigious Heart Of All England Maiden Hunters Chase at Hexham in May 2017 (finished fourth); opening handicap mark of 112 is pure guesswork.

Form: 4142-14

Moss On The Mill^b1²¹

Age: 10| Weight: 11-12| J: J J Burke| T: T R George| OR: 108| D

7/1

Twice a winner over fences at sharp right-handed tracks (Ludlow and Wincanton) and is now 18lb lower in the weights than for his last success (March 2017); blinkered for his second run of the season.

Form: UP8-3P6

Moorlands George^t⁶⁸

Age: 10| Weight: 11-11| J: Nick Scholfield| T: J Scott| OR: 107| D

11/1

Won off a similar mark at Newton Abbot (3m2f, good) in October 2016 but has only raced competitively three-times since; probably simply 'blew-up' on seasonal reappearance in September; conditions nigh perfect.

Form: 7316/2-7

The Boss's Dream¹⁸⁹

Age: 10| Weight: 11-7| J: Bryony Frost| T: N B King| OR: 103| BF| D

15/8

Better over hurdles (122-rated) than over fences (103-rated); could potentially exploit that lowly chase rating eventually, but prefers soft/heavy ground and hasn't raced since late May.

Form: 5365-65

Copperfacejack^t⁴³

Age: 8| Weight: 11-6| J: T J O'Brien| T: P R Webber| OR: 102| BF

7/1

It took the guile of Richard Johnson in the saddle to break the duck at the 21st attempt at Towcester (3m) last October, but he followed up at Taunton a few weeks later (made all); much more uninspiring of late.

Form: 32-45PP

Dontminddboys²¹⁸

Age: 9| Weight: 11-6| J: R Johnson| T: R Dickin| OR: 102

6/1

Ran no sort of race whatsoever at Exeter in April (3m), which must've left connections baffled after a most productive spell of form; stays well, handles most ground conditions and a mark of 102 remains workable; realistic player if fully tuned up.

Form: 13121P-

Corner Creek^p¹⁹

Age: 8| Weight: 11-6| J: Benjamin Poste| T: M Scudamore| OR: 102

9/1

Plenty of letters on his CV, but also a couple of wins in amongst those less flattering form figures, including when gamely fending off subsequent Sedgefield winner Kovera at Southwell (3m, good) on his penultimate start; chance.

Form: 1PU-P1F

Chill In The Wood⁹

Age: 9| Weight: 11-2| J: M D Grant| T: D J S Ffrench Davis| OR: 98

16/1

Her overall career record (1-17) is not the most appealing but broadly speaking she's a fairly reliable mare at her own level; found things happening a shade too quickly over C&D latest, so a slight surprise that she returns to this track.

Form: 823F35

Spock¹²⁵

Age: 13| Weight: 10-8| J: Miss L Brooke⁽⁷⁾| T: Lady S Brooke| OR: 90| C

33/1

Veteran; 3lb lower than when winning here over 2m5f on soft ground in December 2017; failed to complete the last twice, ducking out through the wing when in contention two out at Ffos Las (2m3f+) in June; stamina question marks.

Form: 45-24RP

Forecasts

The Boss's Dream (15/8), Dontminddboys (6/1), Copperfacejack (7/1), Firebird Flyer (7/1), Moss On The Mill (7/1), Corner Creek (9/1), Moorlands George (11/1), Chill In The Wood (16/1), Againn Dul Aghaidh (25/1), Spock (33/1)

Corner Creek is a prime contender with a clear round (not at all guaranteed), as is the still well-handicapped Dontmindboys. He returns fresh from a summer break with the presence of Richard Johnson in the saddle implying that he'll be fit enough to do himself justice. However, in an open race a couple of better priced alternatives against the field are Moss On The Mill and MOORLANDS GEORGE. The selection hasn't stood a great deal of racing in recent times, but is a capable performer on a decent surface off this sort of handicap mark. Furthermore, he is perfectly entitled to improve for the run at Newton Abbot in September.