19:35 Bath

Wednesday 1 May 2019

All16:5017:2518:0018:3019:0019:3520:10

Read 'Group 1 Griff' At valuerater.co.uk Handicap

Off time: 19:35 | Winning time: 2m 28.12s

(1)

Singing The Blues⁶

Age: 4| Weight: 9-9| J: Rob Hornby| T: B R Millman| OR: 67| BF| D

2/1

Rattled off a hat-trick of AW wins over similar trips in lower grade before undone by a refusal to settle when stepped up to 2m. Runner-up in better company at Chelmsford last time and the one to beat if running to a similar level back on turf.

Form: 611122

(3)

Francophilia⁵⁵

Age: 4| Weight: 9-8| J: F Norton| T: C & M Johnston| OR: 66

11/4

Has a pedigree that would see her paddock appeal greatly enhanced by a victory. Unfortunately she lacks a change of gear and blinkers failed to elicit a response last time.

Form: 237-340

(2)

Agent Gibbs³⁰

Age: 7| Weight: 9-7| J: R Havlin| T: J G M O'Shea| OR: 65| D

10/1

Five-time winner on turf with a preference for some cut in the ground. Arrives in poor form from an AW campaign and others preferred.

Form: 20-5078

(10)

Gendarme¹⁴

Age: 4| Weight: 9-7| J: Rossa Ryan| T: Alexandra Dunn| OR: 65

16/1

Weighted to go close on his narrow defeat at Lingfield in January but he has disappointed twice since and is now 0-12. Questionable whether he wants the ground as fast as this, but worth checking in the market given how uncompetitive this looks.

Form: 8-75279

(5)

Kings Inn³⁵

Age: 5| Weight: 9-7| J: Megan Nicholls⁽³⁾| T: P F Nicholls| OR: 65

10/1

Bought for €100,000 in September 2017 and has mixed hurdling with Flat racing. Yet to prove his worth in either discipline and needs to improve considerably.

Form: 2/307-0

(9)

Yamuna River^b¹³

Age: 4| Weight: 9-5| J: Dane O'Neill| T: C Gordon| OR: 63

25/1

16-race maiden whose only turf run of note came here last October in better company. Has been poor under both codes since though.

Form: 50830-8

(11)

Make Good^b,t²⁹

Age: 4| Weight: 9-4| J: David Probert| T: David Dennis| OR: 62| BF

8/1

Has gone 15 races without a win but went close on a few occasions over the winter. Needs to bounce back from a poor effort last time and he is starting to look a tricky ride.

Form: 9-73226

(8)

Barca^p1⁵⁸

Age: 5| Weight: 8-13| J: M Dwyer| T: M P Tregoning| OR: 57

6/1

Former Ballydoyle inmate; made little impression in three starts for Seamus Durack in 2018 and didn't appear to be the easiest of conveyances on first two starts for this yard.

Form: 3/679-06

Non-Runners

(7)

Gates Pass⁵⁵

Weight: 9-8| Age: 4

T: B Barr J: Nicola Currie

(6)

Viento De Condor¹⁰²

Weight: 9-2| Age: 4

T: Tom Clover J: J Mitchell

(4)

Attain¹

Weight: 8-13| Age: 10

T: A Watson J: Kate Leahy

Forecasts

Singing The Blues (2/1), Francophilia (11/4), Barca (6/1), Make Good (8/1), Agent Gibbs (10/1), Kings Inn (10/1), Gates Pass (10/1), Attain (12/1), Gendarme (16/1), Yamuna River (25/1), Viento De Condor (25/1)

SINGING THE BLUES arrives in much better shape than his rivals and is taken to gain his fourth victory of the year, although his ability to reproduce his AW form on turf needs to be taken on trust. The remainder have little to recommend them, but Gendarme, Make Good, Attain and Yamuna River fit into the category of 'capable if at their best" with neither indicating they were close to that sort of level last time with no obvious excuses.