18:15 Wolverhampton

Monday 4 March 2019

All17:4518:1518:4519:1519:4520:15

Betway Handicap

Off time: 18:15 | Winning time: 1m 13.12s

(5)

Mutabaahy^h¹³

Age: 4| Weight: 9-9| J: Cam Hardie| T: A Brittain| OR: 72| CD

4/1

Held close home when beaten a neck off a similar mark at Newcastle (6f) in September; difficult to evaluate his recent comeback run (pulled hard); capable of better assuming that run has knocked off some rough edges.

Form: 85623-9

(9)

Monumental Man^p⁹

Age: 10| Weight: 9-7| J: D C Costello| T: J A Osborne| OR: 70| BF| CD

11/1

In-form during September 2018 scoring on the strand at Laytown (6f) and over this C&D; mainly reliable since (twice placed over C&D in 2019), albeit was a shade below-par in a seller latest; obvious pace angle.

Form: 240-333

(4)

Aguerooo^p,t²

Age: 6| Weight: 9-6| J: F Norton| T: C Wallis| OR: 69| D

6/1

Eight-time winner on the AW (maiden on turf); has risen in the weights since recording back-to-back 6f Lingfield victories in January; finished sixth of 11 to Real Estate at Chelmsford on Saturday evening.

Form: 4-61176

(8)

Kupa River^h⁴²

Age: 5| Weight: 9-6| J: L Morris| T: R Fell & S Murray| OR: 69| BF

3/1

Has knocked very firmly at the door on all three previous C&D starts; 2lb higher than when beaten a nose by A Sure Welcome in January (penultimate start); rates as a definite contender.

Form: 5365-22

(7)

Steelriver⁹

Age: 9| Weight: 9-5| J: Phil Dennis⁽³⁾| T: M Herrington| OR: 68| CD

7/2

In fine fettle (2,3,2,1) since rejoining his former trainer Michael Herrington; 7lb higher than when beating Admiral Rooke by 4L over C&D nine-days ago; strong possibility there's plenty more in the tank based upon his back-catalogue of form.

Form: 95-2321

(1)

Bobby Joe Leg^b²⁷

Age: 5| Weight: 9-3| J: J P Sullivan| T: Mrs R Carr| OR: 66| BF| CD

8/1

A two-time AW winner (from 17 starts); has found a consistent seam of form on Tapeta at Newcastle (6f-7f) in the early months of 2019; beaten just under 1L by a pair of subsequent winners (Gentlemen & Chosen World) latest; respected.

Form: 07-5223

(2)

Newstead Abbey^p¹¹

Age: 9| Weight: 9-1| J: Theodore Ladd⁽⁵⁾| T: Rebecca Bastiman| OR: 64| CD

15/2

Led close home when beating a stablemate of Kupa River (Muatadel) on Fibresand (6f) on his penultimate start; no worries whatsoever about his effectiveness at this track; far from punitively handicapped off a 3lb higher mark; place prospects.

Form: 339-714

(3)

Always Amazing⁹

Age: 5| Weight: 8-10| J: Raul Da Silva| T: D Shaw| OR: 59| CD

16/1

C&D maiden winner on debut for Robert Cowell in June 2017; 0-12 since, although was beaten just a neck by Santafiora here in January; competes off a career low handicap mark.

Form: 9-52993

(6)

Sandytown³¹⁰

Age: 4| Weight: 8-9| J: Lewis Edmunds| T: D C Griffiths| OR: 58WS

80/1

Failed to make a positive impression in four starts for Kevin Ryan over the space of a 12-month period (April 2017-April 2018); has had wind surgery since his last start and now with a new trainer returning from a 310-day absence.

Form: 98/40-

Forecasts

Kupa River (3/1), Steelriver (7/2), Mutabaahy (4/1), Aguerooo (6/1), Newstead Abbey (15/2), Bobby Joe Leg (8/1), Monumental Man (11/1), Always Amazing (16/1), Sandytown (80/1)

For a Monday at Wolverhampton, this race rates as a competitive Class 5 handicap with a number of the runners in with a shout. The likes of Bobby Joe Leg and Newstead Abbey compete off perfectly fair handicap marks, so it wouldn't be a major surprise to see either make the frame. Mutabaahy would be a more tentative choice in the hope that a recent run has knocked off some rough edges. However, this should rest between Kupa River and the re-emerging STEELRIVER. The selection was a useful horse in his younger years for Michael Herrington, and looked to be very much on the way back when stamping his authority over nine rivals over C&D just nine-days ago.