15:55 Hexham

Thursday 14 March 2019

All13:5514:3515:1515:5516:3517:1517:50

Visit Our New Website www.hexham-racecourse.co.uk Handicap Chase

Off time: 15:57 | Winning time: 9m 21.0s

Teddy Tee⁵³

Age: 10| Weight: 12-4| J: Craig Nichol| T: N G Richards| OR: 122

14/1

Without a win over fences (0-7), but is evidently a stout stayer on soft ground; solid since wind surgery, posting an excellent seasonal reappearance at Ayr (second) in January; carries a very big weight.

Form: 322P3-2

Total Assets¹¹

Age: 11| Weight: 11-12| J: Amie Waugh⁽⁷⁾| T: S Waugh| OR: 116| CD

13/2

Ploughed through the mud when ultimately scoring with ease (by 7L) on her first attempt at this marathon trip over C&D in November (soft); 9lb higher today - ran well off a similar mark in Kelso's Borders National (fourth).

Form: 306145

Very First Time^b1²⁴

Age: 7| Weight: 11-11| J: B S Hughes| T: T D Easterby| OR: 115| C

7/1

Talented novice; has found life more difficult in handicap company but is slipping back to a more manageable mark; no issues with heavy ground; first-time blinkers replace the cheekpieces which were worn at Carlisle in February (fifth).

Form: 00-5765

Court Frontier^p²⁴

Age: 11| Weight: 11-10| J: James Bowen| T: Christian Williams| OR: 114

7/2

Thorough stayer; 9lb lower than when winning the 2017 Cambridgeshire National at Huntingdon (3m7f, soft); finished just behind today's rival Weststreet in the Surrey National at Lingfield (3m5f, soft) 24-days ago.

Form: 0U3554

Weststreet²⁴

Age: 9| Weight: 11-10| J: Harrison Beswick⁽⁷⁾| T: O Sherwood| OR: 114

9/2

Oliver Sherwood is a rare visitor to Hexham (0-3), so this soft ground hurdles winner catches the eye; kept on to finish 2½L third to Le Reve (Court Frontier fourth) in the Surrey National at Lingfield (3m5f, soft) 24-days ago.

Form: 2P/P383

Kilcullen Flem^p²⁴

Age: 9| Weight: 11-8| J: Sean Quinlan| T: P A Kirby| OR: 112| CD

6/1

Made all when gamely winning this race from a 3lb higher mark in 2018 - taking his Hexham record to 2-2. However, he flopped in identical conditions over C&D in November (pulled up) in the race won by Total Assets; can he bounce back to form?

Form: 134-P4P

Caventara^p¹⁸

Age: 7| Weight: 11-4| J: Rachel McDonald⁽⁵⁾| T: A M Thomson| OR: 108

15/2

Lightly-raced, so could have more to offer over a marathon trip (dam L'Aventure was a 4m winner); has fallen 11lb in the weights since introduced to fences at Newcastle in December; unconvincing thus far.

Form: P/31-P65

Letemgo¹⁷

Age: 11| Weight: 11-0| J: Colm McCormack⁽³⁾| T: A B Hamilton| OR: 104

40/1

Hasn't won since completing a hurdles hat-trick over an extended 3m1f at Carlisle (heavy) in February 2018; hasn't competed over fences since May 2016 (when with Giles Smyly) - feasibly weighted, albeit is hardly the most appealing.

Form: 4-03388

Misfits^t²⁴

Age: 8| Weight: 10-12| J: Blair Campbell⁽⁵⁾| T: Miss Lucinda V Russell| OR: 102| C

14/1

Better chaser than a hurdler; 7lb higher than when beating Frank The Slink by 19L over 3m here in October (soft); well worth trying over a marathon trip switched back from hurdles and more interesting than some of the others.

Form: 142397

Bertalus^v⁵³

Age: 10| Weight: 10-6| J: Grant Cockburn⁽³⁾| T: N W Alexander| OR: 96

66/1

3-6 over fences (if factoring in his PTP form); fended off some very questionable characters on an absolute bog at Newcastle (2m7f+ heavy) in April 2018; scarcely seen since; should strip fitter for a January hurdles spin; 3lb higher.

Form: 9P531-0

Finaghy Ayr^p³⁶

Age: 11| Weight: 10-5| J: D R Fox| T: I A Duncan| OR: 95

12/1

Not in the best of form of late, so is on the slide down the weights; fell at the 17th when sent off 5/2f for this race in 2017, and beaten just 1½L by Kilcullen Flem in 2018; these conditions are fine.

Form: 2227-0P

Alto Des Mottes^p²¹

Age: 9| Weight: 10-0| J: Billy Garritty⁽⁷⁾| T: H Hogarth| OR: 79| C

18/1

Not the force of old and competes from 11lb out of the handicap which makes his task much trickier (riders claim helpful); no chance with the first two (third) when beaten 35L by Total Assets over C&D in November; look elsewhere.

Form: 032667

Forecasts

Court Frontier (7/2), Weststreet (9/2), Kilcullen Flem (6/1), Total Assets (13/2), Very First Time (7/1), Caventara (15/2), Finaghy Ayr (12/1), Misfits (14/1), Teddy Tee (14/1), Alto Des Mottes (18/1), Letemgo (40/1), Bertalus (66/1)

The survival of the fittest in a race which is one of the most extreme stamina tests in the country when run on rain-softened ground, so fingers crossed the 12 runners come home safely despite being spread out the length and breadth of the Tyne Valley come shortly after 4pm. Last year's winner Kilcullen Flem, runner-up Finaghy Ayr and the occasionally quirky mare Total Assets will all know exactly what lies ahead. It's notable that Oliver Sherwood saddles Weststreet but a chance is taken on Tim Easterby's VERY FIRST TIME. This heavy ground course winner (3m) is now rated 17lb lower than when competing in a Grade 3 chase at Aintree just 11-months ago.