13:35 Haydock

Saturday 22 December 2018

All11:5012:2513:0013:3514:0514:4015:15

Smarkets Handicap Chase

Off time: 13:35 | Winning time: 4m 3.4s

Kauto Riko⁴²

Age: 7| Weight: 11-12| J: B S Hughes| T: T R Gretton| OR: 137| D

20/1

In good form over fences last season, but blundered at the first and was soon pulled up on his reappearance at Aintree. No easy task off this mark, but has room for improvement and jockey booking catches the eye.

Form: 3/11D5-P

Granville Island¹⁴

Age: 11| Weight: 11-6| J: Sean Quinlan| T: J Candlish| OR: 131| CD

12/1

Three heavy-ground wins early in the year and was returning from a long break off a much higher mark when down the field at Aintree recently. Should strip fitter this time and underfoot conditions are obviously not a problem.

Form: 43111-7

Elixir Du Gouet⁵³

Age: 4| Weight: 11-4| J: Bryony Frost| T: Miss V Williams| OR: 134

3/1

French import who was successful in his second chase in October. Hard to get a handle on the form, but has joined a stable which has been among the winners and has a good record at this venue.

Form: 1-81421

Shear Rock^t²¹

Age: 8| Weight: 11-3| J: Sam Twiston-Davies| T: Kerry Lee| OR: 128

7/2

Third start over fences and his first following wind surgery when good second to a progressive sort at Newbury at the beginning of the month. Up 1lb and can improve again if handling this softer ground.

Form: 1232/2-2

Zalvados^p²⁵

Age: 5| Weight: 10-13| J: P J Brennan| T: O Greenall & J Guerriero| OR: 124| D

4/1

Only run over fences saw him finish a fair third of six at Sedgefield. Down 1lb and much more needed in a deeper race..

Form: 172-043

Ontopoftheworld^p¹²

Age: 9| Weight: 10-13| J: T J O'Brien| T: P & M Bowen| OR: 124| BF| D

9/1

Winner of five of his 22 races over fences, four of them this season, so has more experience than most of his rivals. Continues to climb the weights, but is reliable and seems versatile ground-wise.

Form: 113212

Vendor²⁴

Age: 10| Weight: 10-12| J: T Scudamore| T: J Parkinson & S Smith| OR: 123| D

28/1

Only two runs since returning from a two-year absence and was well held in both. Down 7lb since the first of them, but has questions to answer for the time being.

Form: 3062/65

Ubaltique^b,t¹⁵

Age: 10| Weight: 10-11| J: W T Kennedy| T: D McCain Jnr| OR: 122| CD

5/1

Winner of this race last year off 2lb lower mark. Not without promise when third of 11 in a Sedgefield handicap hurdle on seasonal reappearance and will be happier back over fences and on more testing ground.

Form: 11340-3

Uno Valoroso²¹

Age: 10| Weight: 10-0| J: Lorcan Murtagh⁽³⁾| T: M Walford| OR: 107| D

16/1

First run since March when second of six in a handicap chase at Bangor. Handles give in the ground, but faces stiff task 4lb out of the handicap.

Form: 23325-2

Forecasts

Elixir Du Gouet (3/1), Shear Rock (7/2), Zalvados (4/1), Ubaltique (5/1), Ontopoftheworld (9/1), Granville Island (12/1), Uno Valoroso (16/1), Kauto Riko (20/1), Vendor (28/1)

Ubaltique makes a fair degree of appeal as he bids to follow up last year's success, but there are a couple of interesting ones pitched against him in the shape of Shear Rock and ELIXIR DU GOUET. It is hard to know the strength of the selection's French form, but he has joined a stable whose runners have been performing well recently and which boasts a good record at this track. Granville Island, Kauto Riko and Ontopoftheworld also enter calculations in an open contest.