Watch Racing TV Now Novices' Handicap Chase

Off time: 15:55 | Winning time: 5m 9.65s

Skye Chief³⁰

Age: 7| Weight: 12-2| J: Callum Bewley| T: S Waugh| OR: 107

6/1

Five-race maiden; his standout piece of form came on soft ground at Perth (2m4f) in April 2018 when finishing 9L second to Blue Flight; difficult to say how he'll handle underfoot conditions on handicap/chasing debut.

Form: 252-76

The Road Home^t⁵²

Age: 7| Weight: 11-12| J: Thomas Willmott⁽⁷⁾| T: Miss Lucinda V Russell| OR: 103| C

9/2

Pretty much all downhill since winning a 2m maiden hurdle (good to soft) here 13-months ago; 0-3 over fences with very few positives to take from any of those races - admittedly has fallen 12lb in the weights.

Form: D30-45P

Old Salt^p,t¹⁵

Age: 7| Weight: 11-11| J: Alain Cawley| T: Stef Keniry| OR: 102| CD

5/2

Back to form when making fairly heavy weather of beating today's rival Cool Valley (by 5L) in a poor three-runner contest over C&D 15-days ago; the handicapper has acted fairly in raising him a mere 3lb since.

Form: 5005P1

Benny's Secret^h⁵²

Age: 9| Weight: 11-11| J: Lucy Alexander| T: N W Alexander| OR: 102

2/1

Capable hurdler (3-19) who has done the bulk of his winning on a sound surface at Kelso; relatively unexposed over fences and caught the eye in staying on well to finish a short-head second to Henry's Joy (Cool Valley third) over C&D in January.

Form: 0-80352

Devito'sgoldengirl^t³⁹

Age: 8| Weight: 10-9| J: S Mulqueen⁽³⁾| T: Miss Lucinda V Russell| OR: 86

20/1

Eight-race rules maiden; completed on her sole start over fences (here) in November 2017, albeit finishing last of eight to the Irish raider Mullaghmurphy Blue; stablemate of The Road Home; very unlikely winner.

Form: 2P8-P70

Scorpo^b⁷

Age: 8| Weight: 10-0| J: B S Hughes| T: V Thompson| OR: 72

7/1

18-race maiden who competes from out of the handicap proper; plugged on to make the frame (well beaten) over an extended 3m2f at Sedgefield latest and that's about his level; others much preferred.

Form: P34433

Non-Runners

Cool Valley¹

Weight: 11-2| Age: 10

T: W Young Jnr J: Danny Cook

Forecasts

Benny's Secret (2/1), Old Salt (5/2), Cool Valley (3/1), The Road Home (9/2), Skye Chief (6/1), Scorpo (7/1), Devito'sgoldengirl (20/1)

A porous looking contest. Old Salt has been fairly treated by the handicapper with a 3lb rise in the weights for winning a very weak race over C&D latest (has the measure of Cool Valley), whilst The Road Home needs to rediscover some form of spark in order to capitalise upon a vastly reduced handicap mark. Therefore, the most enticing option is the least exposed horse over fences, the Nick Alexander-trained BENNY'S SECRET. A 2lb rise in the weights for finishing a short-head second to Henry's Joy over C&D in January (on just his second start over fences) is neither here nor there in the context of this race.