Manners Le Garcon D'Or Handicap Chase

Off time: 16:11 | Winning time: 4m 18.5s

Oak Vintage²⁰

Age: 9| Weight: 11-12| J: Thomas Dowson⁽³⁾| T: P A Kirby| OR: 119| CD

4/1

Finished runner-up on debut for Phil Kirby at Wetherby (2m3f+) on Boxing Day - the third and fifth have won since; not always the most fluent of fencers but back to his last winning mark and is a two-time C&D scorer on good ground.

Form: 442584

Halcyon Days^p³³

Age: 10| Weight: 11-10| J: C O'Farrell| T: R Menzies| OR: 117

6/1

As tough as they come and a grand servant to his connections; given a 5lb rise in the weights for a recent 1¼L Catterick win (1m7½f, soft); 2¼L runner-up to Charlie Snow Angel in this race in 2018 (off a 10lb lower mark).

Form: 616221

Sporting Press^h¹⁷

Age: 6| Weight: 11-5| J: Billy Garritty⁽⁷⁾| T: K Dalgleish| OR: 112

11/4

Belatedly headed back in the right direction when making a winning chasing debut at Musselburgh (2m4f+, good) 17-days ago, grabbing the front-running King Golan (runs earlier) on the line; 4lb higher mark negated by the 7lb claimer Billy Garritty.

Form: 0-42461

Le Frank^t²⁹

Age: 7| Weight: 10-13| J: D R Fox| T: Miss Lucinda V Russell| OR: 106

11/2

Fine stamp of a horse (built for jumping fences); rather disappointing since beating Echo Express (flopped at Newcastle on Saturday) by 8L at Hexham (2m, soft) in November; still 6lb higher and ground conditions aren't in his favour.

Form: 04-41F5

Welcome Ben⁴⁹³

Age: 10| Weight: 10-12| J: Craig Nichol| T: Mrs J Stephen| OR: 105| CD

12/1

3-9 over fences, and was a 2L winner of this race on good ground in 2017 (beat Chain Of Beacons); now 5lb higher than when finishing second to that same rival over C&D in November 2017; seldom seen since (493-days off); tough task.

Form: 1/11226-

John Williams^p³⁹

Age: 10| Weight: 10-12| J: Rachel McDonald⁽⁵⁾| T: A M Thomson| OR: 105

10/1

Musselburgh regular; best on a sound surface (2m-2m4f); made hard work of landing the odds on his penultimate start, beating the 10yo Cool Valley by 1½L; well held back at the East Lothian venue a mere 24 hours later; vulnerable at Kelso (0-5).

Form: 351215

Uno Valoroso¹⁹

Age: 11| Weight: 10-10| J: Brendan Powell| T: M Walford| OR: 103| CD

9/2

Veteran C&D winner who is slowly inching his way back down the weights to a more competitive looking handicap mark; 8L runner-up to Star Foot at Market Rasen (2m3f) 19-days ago; finished fifth of six to Lowanbehold in this race in 2016.

Form: 25-2542

Forecasts

Sporting Press (11/4), Oak Vintage (4/1), Uno Valoroso (9/2), Le Frank (11/2), Halcyon Days (6/1), John Williams (10/1), Welcome Ben (12/1)

Sporting Press made a winning chasing debut at Musselburgh (2m4f) and could see that form franked by the runner-up King Golan in the previous race. His chance is an obvious one with 7lb claimer Billy Garritty taking over in the saddle and negating the subsequent 4lb rise (and more). Recent Catterick winner Halcyon Days is as tough as an old boot, and he finished second to Charlie Snow Angel in this race in 2018. However, on the negative side he does have a career high mark to defy. Therefore, a tentative value-based alternative is the feasibly treated top-weight OAK VINTAGE, who was a two-time good ground C&D winner for previous trainer Ann Hamilton.