14:00 Taunton

Thursday 28 February 2019

All14:0014:3515:1015:4516:2016:5517:30

Racing To School Selling Hurdle

Off time: 14:00 | Winning time: 4m 49.1s

Cliffside Park^p⁵⁸

Age: 10| Weight: 11-10| J: Lewis Stones⁽⁷⁾| T: O Murphy| OR: 120| D

8/1

Has won four times in selling company at 2m-2m4½f, including last time at Fakenham on New Year's Day. Conditions fine for him. Looks set to go well again on first visit to this track.

Form: 213-251

Never Equalled^b⁵⁹

Age: 10| Weight: 11-10| J: Robert Williams⁽³⁾| T: B J Llewellyn| OR: 122

6/1

Three of his four wins have been at Ffos Las, and all have come on testing ground. Some way below his best this season and will need to improve on all three of those runs to have strong chance on forecast good surface.

Form: 314-755

Vancouver^h³⁴

Age: 7| Weight: 11-10| J: N D Fehily| T: N P Mulholland| OR: 115

10/1

Placed three time in this grade over 2m-2m4f this season, though comes here on the back of a poor run at Huntingdon (2m4½f, good to soft) back in a handicap last month. Not discounted back in selling company with forecast good ground in his favour.

Form: 1-82330

Bazooka^t⁶³

Age: 8| Weight: 11-7| J: James Davies| T: D Flood| OR: 111

33/1

Won a Leicester seller (2m, good to firm; first-time tongue-tie) in December. Well held on AW since and stamina will have to be proven over this extended trip.

Form: 5/359-P1

Pilansberg^p,t⁸

Age: 7| Weight: 11-7| J: Harry Skelton| T: P F Nicholls| OR: 116

5/4

Once a useful hurdler, but off a long time prior to returning in November, and he's made limited impact in four handicap runs. Stable in red-hot form and so chance of better dropping into this company.

Form: 19/0068

Regulation^b⁸

Age: 10| Weight: 11-7| J: Bryony Frost| T: N B King| OR: 117

5/1

Benefited from the drop to selling company when winning at Leicester (2m4½f, good) last month, he has since finished tailed off back in a handicap at Ludlow. Possible he'll take more interest in this grade once more.

Form: 253710

Shadow's Boy^p¹⁵

Age: 10| Weight: 11-7| J: Rex Dingle⁽⁵⁾| T: B J Llewellyn| OR: 115

12/1

Lost his way since winning at Wincanton a couple of seasons ago but is now back on a handy mark. Ran well (second) in a seller at Leicester (2m4½f, good to firm) in December. Pulled up in a Plumpton handicap last month.

Form: 86082P

Master Of Speed^b1⁴⁵

Age: 7| Weight: 11-3| J: Joshua Moore| T: G & J Moore| OR: 113

16/1

2m Kempton win in May 2016 but was then absent until tailed off on return there on Boxing Day and met same fate last month at Fontwell (2m3f, good to soft). Drops in class, needs better surface to bring about a change in fortune.

Form: 361/00

Miskin^h⁶⁹

Age: 10| Weight: 11-3| J: T J O'Brien| T: R Stephens

33/1

French import, yet to win since arriving with this handler in 2017 and mostly campaigned on the AW. Runner-up in Newcastle selling hurdle (2m2½f, good) in September on sole try over jumps in this country, puts him in the picture for this.

Form: 2

Forecasts

Pilansberg (5/4), Regulation (5/1), Never Equalled (6/1), Cliffside Park (8/1), Vancouver (10/1), Shadow's Boy (12/1), Master Of Speed (16/1), Bazooka (33/1), Miskin (33/1)

CLIFFSIDE PARK is becoming a specialist in this grade and he can go well once more in pursuit of a fifth win in selling company, with his Fakenham run from last month likely proving good enough to take this. A few of his rivals have fair claims, if able to put poor last-time-out runs behind them. They include Vancouver and Regulation while Pilansberg is respected dropping into this fare. Miskin was second at Newcastle in September under similar conditions and should be in the mix.