14:30 Carlisle

Sunday 2 December 2018

All12:2512:5513:2514:0014:3015:0015:30

smarkets.com Northern Lights Staying Chase Series Final Handicap Chase

Off time: 14:31 | Winning time: 6m 44.70s

Mahler Lad^v³⁸

Age: 8| Weight: 11-12| J: B S Hughes| T: D McCain Jnr| OR: 117| D

7/1

Triple chase winner on good/good to soft. Encouraging reappearance when 9L second from this mark here over 3m2f last time. More needed, and also softer ground to contend with.

Form: 412-1P2

Misfits^t⁵⁰

Age: 7| Weight: 11-0| J: Blair Campbell⁽⁵⁾| T: Miss Lucinda V Russell| OR: 105| D

4/1

Goes well over 3m on soft, as he showed when romping away with a Hexham handicap chase last time, from 10lb lower. Can't rule out more after that career-best. Claims.

Form: 425-P61

Knocknamona¹⁵

Age: 7| Weight: 10-9| J: Alain Cawley| T: Micky Hammond| OR: 100| D

4/1

Reeled off four wins in succession last winter on testing ground. Step back in right direction again last time at Wetherby. Should be competitive.

Form: 1146-46

Kings Eclipse³⁴

Age: 8| Weight: 10-9| J: R D Day⁽³⁾| T: A Wilson| OR: 100| D

8/1

Scored over 3m2½f (soft) at Sedgefield, when 13lb lower a year ago. Improved on that in defeats back at that venue since. Well held on return at Ayr in October. More needed.

Form: 4122F-5

Achill Road Boy³⁴

Age: 9| Weight: 10-6| J: Sam Coltherd⁽⁵⁾| T: W Coltherd| OR: 97| C

9/2

6lb higher than when scoring here over 3m2f (good to soft) in March. Not a bad reappearance at Ayr in October. Could come on for that a take a hand.

Form: 5614-U3

Nortonthorpelegend³⁴

Age: 8| Weight: 10-2| J: C O'Farrell| T: R Menzies| OR: 93| C| D

11/2

21lb lower than when narrowly beaten in this race last year (soft). Badly out of sorts since then and hard to fancy at present.

Form: 344-PPP

Purple Harry²²³

Age: 10| Weight: 10-0| J: Ross Chapman⁽³⁾| T: Miss T Jackson| OR: 87| BF| D

16/1

Improved on his hurdles form when winning at the first attempt over fences. Not far short of that on penultimate start, in April, but this is tough enough after a break.

Form: PRP624-

Frank The Slink^p,t²³

Age: 12| Weight: 10-0| J: Billy Garritty⁽¹⁰⁾| T: Micky Hammond| OR: 82| C| D

17/2

Dual course winning veteran. Arrives in decent form, but this looks tough from 9lb 'wrong'.

Form: 617-P22

Forecasts

Knocknamona (4/1), Misfits (4/1), Achill Road Boy (9/2), Nortonthorpelegend (11/2), Mahler Lad (7/1), Kings Eclipse (8/1), Frank The Slink (17/2), Purple Harry (16/1)

An open heat where the suggestion is course winner ACHILL ROAD BOY, who made a nice enough reappearance and could be primed and ready this time. Misfits looks a potential danger, with Mahler Lad and Knocknamona also considered.