15:30 Perth

Thursday 25 April 2019

All13:5014:2515:0015:3016:0516:3517:10

Heineken UK River Tay Handicap Chase

Off time: 15:30 | Winning time: 4m 59.62s

Bigmartre²⁰

Age: 8| Weight: 11-12| J: Page Fuller⁽³⁾| T: H Whittington| OR: 140| D

4/1

Good-ground Grade 2 winning novice (2m4f+ Ayr); has found life tough in handicap company, admittedly contesting the Brown Advisory Plate and the Topham most latterly.

Form: 6P4300

Nuts Well^p¹²

Age: 8| Weight: 11-12| J: Craig Nichol| T: Mrs A Hamilton| OR: 140

9/1

Hardy type (hurdles or chases); high enough in the weights and generally strongest over the minimum trip (2m); others are more likely winners.

Form: 462F44

Piton Pete³²

Age: 8| Weight: 11-6| J: L P Aspell| T: O Sherwood| OR: 134| D

13/2

Tough to knock any of his four starts over fences and deservedly off the mark at Carlisle (2m4f, good to soft) last month, beating sole-finisher Elixir Du Gouet by 23L; makes handicap debut off a mark of 134; rain would suit.

Form: 20-5U31

Saint Leo^t³³

Age: 6| Weight: 11-5| J: Henry Brooke| T: A M Thomson| OR: 133

9/2

Travelling smoothly when hitting the deck on his penultimate start (Ayr 2m+, soft) and not beaten far back over hurdles in a competitive Saturday Kelso handicap since (sixth); stayed 2m2f+ in France; rain would suit.

Form: 5F-54F6

Gardefort⁴²

Age: 10| Weight: 11-5| J: Fergus Gregory⁽⁵⁾| T: Miss V Williams| OR: 133

11/1

Went down all guns blazing in a tussle for the 2017 Grand Annual (second); has raced only five-times over the course of a two-year period since; held every chance when unseating Hugh Nugent at the fourth last at Ludlow in February.

Form: 2/4-0PUP

Wicked Willy^t⁴⁰

Age: 8| Weight: 11-4| J: Sam Twiston-Davies| T: N & W Twiston-Davies| OR: 132| D

7/2

Best served by a flat right-handed track - a Huntingdon, Taunton, Market Rasen and Kempton winner; 8lb higher than when beating My Way by 6L in the Kempton Silver Plate (2m5f hurdle) six-weeks ago; holds every chance switched back to fences.

Form: 533351

Graineyhill^p⁵²

Age: 8| Weight: 11-0| J: R Johnson| T: G Elliott| OR: 128| D

12/1

Fortunate winner of a 2m1f+ Fairyhouse Beginners Chase (good to yielding) - left in front at the final fence when Dakota Moirette brought down Ain't Dunne Yet; finished last of four at Leopardstown latest; handicap debut.

Form: 31P014

Ballyvic Boru²²

Age: 7| Weight: 10-12| J: Danny Cook| T: B Ellison| OR: 126| C

13/2

Unexposed over fences (handicap debut); solid form figures on a sound surface as a novice chaser in the spring of 2018 (2,1,2); can only draw benefit from his reappearance run over hurdles at Market Rasen three-weeks ago.

Form: 30-2120

Forecasts

Wicked Willy (7/2), Bigmartre (4/1), Saint Leo (9/2), Piton Pete (13/2), Ballyvic Boru (13/2), Nuts Well (9/1), Gardefort (11/1), Graineyhill (12/1)

No strong opinion is offered with rain a distinct possibility, and that would suit the likes of Saint Leo and the far more interesting handicap debutante Piton Pete. Graineyhill also merits a degree of respect based upon on the Elliott/Johnson factor, but the Nigel Twiston-Davies trained WICKED WILLY clearly appreciates racing on flat right-handed tracks so gets the nod. An emphatic 6L winner of the Kempton Silver Plate (a 2m5f handicap hurdle) six-weeks ago, there's no real reason as to why a switch to fences will necessarily hinder his chances of following up.