Heineken UK Novices' Chase

Off time: 16:50 | Winning time: 5m 12.4s

Oscar Ceremony¹³

Age: 8| Weight: 10-12| J: R P McLernon| T: Stef Keniry

10/1

Seven-race hurdles maiden; beaten over 30L when finishing fourth of eight to the very well treated Darling Miss over 3m here (good to soft) a fortnight ago; plenty of improvement required on chasing debut.

Form: 8355-04

Spinning Scooter^t⁴⁶

Age: 9| Weight: 10-12| J: Dale Irving⁽³⁾| T: M A Barnes| OR: 77

20/1

23-race maiden (0-11 over fences); outclassed (50/1) behind a couple of talented rivals in a 3m Beginners' Chase at Ayr in May; a very similar scenario can be expected today; unlikely winner.

Form: P7473-3

Western Honour^p¹⁵

Age: 7| Weight: 10-12| J: R Johnson| T: G Elliott| OR: 126| D

4/6

123-rated hurdler; the jury is out about whether or not he truly stays 3m (mightn't necessarily need to here); remains unexposed over fences (0-3) and holds every chance on the basis of his Cork (2m4f) fourth to Beyond The Law.

Form: 6154-44

William Of Orange^p,t²⁴

Age: 8| Weight: 10-12| J: B S Hughes| T: D McCain Jnr| OR: 130

5/4

Not the most reliable, but on his day was the best of these four over hurdles, showing battling abilities at Cartmel (2m6f) last summer; no match for the impressive 13L winner Deyrann De Carjac on last month's Cartmel (2m5f, soft) chasing debut.

Form: 5548-62

Forecasts

Western Honour (4/6), William Of Orange (5/4), Oscar Ceremony (10/1), Spinning Scooter (20/1)

It's difficult to take a strong stance as to who might feasibly come out best between WESTERN HONOUR and William Of Orange but the Elliott/Johnson partnership could well be celebrating yet another Perth winner come 5pm. There are some stamina-related question marks with regards the selection, but unless Brian Hughes truly forces the issue on his mount those shortcomings mightn't prove problematic in this small-field, tactical affair.