15:25 Fontwell

Sunday 24 February 2019

All13:5014:2014:5015:2515:5516:2516:55

Netbet Boosts Novices' Hurdle

Off time: 15:25 | Winning time: 4m 55.95s

Shannon Hill^h1¹⁰¹

Age: 5| Weight: 11-10| J: Wayne Hutchinson| T: A King

12/1

Beat the only other finisher in a point-to-point before making all to land a poor maiden hurdle in a slow time. Had his limitations exposed last time and faces a stiff task under his penalty.

Form: 1-14

Ashutor²⁷

Age: 5| Weight: 11-3| J: H Cobden| T: P F Nicholls| BF

5/1

Let down by his jumping when a beaten favourite at Ludlow. A win over 1m6f suggests he will be better suited by this test and an entry in the Supreme Novices is an indicator he may be better class than these.

Form: 2

Black Centaur⁹

Age: 6| Weight: 11-3| J: T Scudamore| T: C L Tizzard

28/1

Successful on sole outing in Irish point-to-points but his hurdling exploits show him to be still a work in progress. Will be eligible for handicaps after this and likely to show more then.

Form: 105

Colonel Keating⁵¹

Age: 7| Weight: 11-3| J: A Glassonbury| T: R Rowe

33/1

Has shown some aptitude on both his hurdling starts without thinking that he is good enough to win something like this. Looks to have some longer term potential and needs this run for a handicap mark.

Form: 21-87

Free Travel²⁹

Age: 8| Weight: 11-3| J: Max Kendrick⁽⁵⁾| T: B I Case

125/1

Hopelessly tailed off in a trio of novice hurdles at huge prices and is impossible to make a case for.

Form: 3/06-0

Grange Ranger^t1²⁸

Age: 7| Weight: 11-3| J: G Sheehan| T: Jamie Snowden

12/1

Half-brother to fairly useful chaser Present Flight out of a dam who was a bumper winner. Fell when in front at the last in only Irish point-to-point (May 2017) and not disgraced on rules debut. This much stronger though.

Form: F-4

Helford River³⁹

Age: 5| Weight: 11-3| J: T J O'Brien| T: C L Tizzard

33/1

£45,000 purchase has plenty to find on form and is another who needs this to earn a handicap mark.

Form: 585

Long River Dancer⁴⁶

Age: 6| Weight: 11-3| J: Sam Twiston-Davies| T: N P Mulholland

125/1

Ordinary pedigree and no signs of ability so far. In a particularly tough race here and impossible to fancy.

Form: 85

Master Majic⁷³⁶

Age: 8| Weight: 11-3| J: James Bowen| T: C L Tizzard

40/1

One of three in the race for the yard and, like his stable companions, looks out of his depth and in need of a qualifying mark.

Form: 9978/

Royal Concorde⁴⁹

Age: 8| Weight: 11-3| J: Thomas Garner| T: Mrs L C Jewell

200/1

Has not shown enough in any of his three starts to suggest he can mix it with many of these

Form: 5/68

Tarada⁴⁸

Age: 6| Weight: 11-3| J: L P Aspell| T: O Sherwood

9/4

Split horses rated 133 and 145 on hurdling debut and the winner has followed up at Ascot since. Will do better over further, but still a leading contender here.

Form: 22

Eos⁷⁵

Age: 5| Weight: 10-10| J: M Goldstein| T: Mrs D Grissell

200/1

Very little form over hurdles so far having had two moribund outings for this yard both at big prices; failed to show much at all. Would be a major surprise if she proved good enough here.

Form: 095

Zafar³⁶

Age: 4| Weight: 10-7| J: R Johnson| T: P Hobbs & J White| OR: 127

11/10

Form of his latest run looks suspect but he is doubly entered at Cheltenham and receives a generous allowance here.Stable have been quiet since the flu outbreak and support in the market would makes his chances more convincing.

Form: 22

Non-Runners

Miss Molly Mae⁴⁴

Weight: 10-10| Age: 7

T: N P Mulholland J: N D Fehily

Forecasts

Zafar (11/10), Tarada (9/4), Ashutor (5/1), Shannon Hill (12/1), Grange Ranger (12/1), Black Centaur (28/1), Colonel Keating (33/1), Helford River (33/1), Master Majic (40/1), Miss Molly Mae (50/1), Free Travel (125/1), Long River Dancer (125/1), Eos (200/1), Royal Concorde (200/1)

Zafar has an official rating of 127 which suggests he is the one to beat in receipt of the allowances, but there are questions over the value of his latest run and the current form of the stable. Tarada split a useful pair at Chepstow and the form has been franked since, but preference is for Cheltenham entry ASHUTOR who will be more at home over this longer trip having failed to justify favouritism on his Ludlow debut.