15:05 Newcastle

Thursday 28 March 2019

All14:0014:3015:0515:3516:1016:40

Isiris Remembers Lance Tate Tictac Man Handicap Hurdle

Off time: 15:05 | Winning time: 3m 54.20s

Dark Ruler¹⁸

Age: 10| Weight: 12-1| J: Henry Brooke| T: J Ward| OR: 102

16/1

Finished runner-up over C&D in January (form respectable) but worryingly for a top-weight hasn't won any race whatsoever since 2014 and remains a maiden over timber; difficult to draw any positives from either of his subsequent efforts.

Form: 3P52P7

Lostock Hall³⁷

Age: 7| Weight: 12-0| J: Harry Reed⁽³⁾| T: T Davidson| OR: 101| BF

11/4

Went mightily close to landing a gamble when beaten ½L by today's rival First Of Never at Wetherby (2m, good) 37-days ago; 2lb higher in the weights and rates as one to keep firmly on your side; key player.

Form: 17/0752

Green Zone¹⁸

Age: 8| Weight: 11-12| J: Callum Bewley| T: Miss L Harrison| OR: 99| CD

10/1

Kept very busy since beating Copt Hill by in excess of 3L over C&D in December (soft); out of his depth in a Class 3 contest at Market Rasen latest (2m4f); should appreciate this easier assignment.

Form: 1F5444

Christmas In Usa^t,v²¹

Age: 7| Weight: 11-9| J: Lucy Alexander| T: N W Alexander| OR: 96| D

7/2

On an upward curve, winning a couple of races on the bounce (2m-2m1f); 6lb higher than when hanging left and driven right out to beat Cyrano Star by 2¼L at Carlisle (soft) three-weeks ago; further improvement a distinct possibility.

Form: F-V6411

Dunly¹⁹

Age: 6| Weight: 11-9| J: Steven Fox⁽⁵⁾| T: J Ewart| OR: 96

8/1

Eight-race maiden (0-4 over hurdles); introduced to handicapping at a realistic level, although still doubtful that he'll prove anywhere near competitive enough.

Form: 23/7-768

Steak And Spuds¹⁹

Age: 7| Weight: 11-7| J: Dale Irving⁽³⁾| T: R M Smith| OR: 94

16/1

Ten-race maiden under rules (three-time PTP scorer); well beaten fifth of 11 to the subsequent Hexham winner The Horsechesnut at Ayr (3m, soft) earlier this month; dropped markedly in trip; stablemate of Go Guarantor.

Form: 114575

Go Guarantor^p,t¹⁹

Age: 5| Weight: 11-6| J: Sean Quinlan| T: R M Smith| OR: 93

33/1

18-race maiden (0-7 over hurdles); poor on both starts for this trainer, and has a mountain to climb with Christmas in Usa based upon Ayr form; best on a sound surface in Ireland; stablemate of Steak And Spuds.

Form: 80-229P

Quiet Penny¹⁶

Age: 5| Weight: 11-6| J: Joe Williamson⁽⁷⁾| T: G Boanas| OR: 93

33/1

Closely related to the useful 2m4f-3m hurdle/chase winner Victor Hewgo; has appeared to be fairly limited in terms of ability thus far, so the switch to handicap company can only be viewed as a positive move.

Form: 588054

Gin And Tonic^b¹⁵

Age: 9| Weight: 11-2| J: B S Hughes| T: M Wigham| OR: 89| D

4/1

Reasonably reliable overall without ever appearing to have the most willing of attitudes; has made the frame on a couple of occasions at Huntingdon (2m, good to soft) of late; helpful that Brian Hughes takes over in the saddle.

Form: 122P23

Stornaway^p1²³

Age: 7| Weight: 10-13| J: Ross Chapman| T: R Ross| OR: 86

40/1

Five-race maiden under rules (0-14 in PTP's); virtually impossible to see how he can have play a significant role in the outcome of this race despite the presence of newly applied cheekpieces; safely ignored.

Form: 5-49560

Dance Of Fire¹⁸

Age: 7| Weight: 10-8| J: Mr C J Robertson⁽¹⁰⁾| T: N W Alexander| OR: 81

11/1

Flat winner for Andrew Balding in the distant past; has struggled over hurdles for this trainer (0-12) dropping a whopping 26lb in the weights over the past couple of years; no reason whatsoever for a revival; stablemate of Christmas in Usa.

Form: 60-6079

First Of Never²⁷

Age: 13| Weight: 10-4| J: Blair Campbell⁽⁵⁾| T: Miss L C Siddall| OR: 77| D

12/1

Broke the duck at the 43rd attempt (40/1) when denying today's rival Lostock Hall at Wetherby (2m, good) on his penultimate start; in the process of running a reasonable race when falling at Doncaster 27-days ago; getting no younger.

Form: 405-31F

Non-Runners

Bell Ofthe Bongate⁵⁸

Weight: 10-11| Age: 5

T: Mrs H O Graham J: S Mulqueen

Forecasts

Lostock Hall (11/4), Christmas In Usa (7/2), Gin And Tonic (4/1), Dunly (8/1), Green Zone (10/1), Dance Of Fire (11/1), First Of Never (12/1), Dark Ruler (16/1), Steak And Spuds (16/1), Bell Ofthe Bongate (25/1), Quiet Penny (33/1), Go Guarantor (33/1), Stornaway (40/1)

A very modest affair in which the list of probable winners can be swiftly scribbled onto a loose sheet of paper. The hat-trick seeking Christmas In Usa represents an obvious starting point, and assuming that he's capable of handling these drying conditions, he should be there or thereabouts, whilst the presence of Brian Hughes in the saddle aboard Gin And Tonic also catches the eye. However, we'll side with the Tristan Davidson-trained LOSTOCK HALL who found only today's re-opposing rival First Of Never stronger when narrowly failing to justify sustained market support at Wetherby.