Derek Braithwaite Memorial Handicap

Off time: 19:00 | Winning time: 1m 41.04s

(1)

Creek Island²²

Age: 3| Weight: 9-7| J: F Norton| T: C & M Johnston| OR: 73| BF

1/1

Below form at Beverley last time (no excuses) over 1m having won in good style over slightly further at Hamilton the time before. Appeared to enjoy the give in the ground when winning (good/soft); will find conditions much quicker here.

Form: 353716

(3)

Conspiritor³¹

Age: 3| Weight: 9-5| J: K Shoemark| T: C Hills| OR: 71

2/1

Shaped nicely enough on his seasonal debut (first/only try at this trip) if looking a little inexperienced under pressure at Sandown (race yet to produce a winner). Went backwards from that run at Goodwood experiencing softer ground; more needed.

Form: 6637-36

(4)

Greeley^p1¹⁶

Age: 3| Weight: 9-1| J: Charlie Bennett| T: B R Millman| OR: 67| D

3/1

Completed a nursery hat-trick last year over 7f-1m reaching a mark of 80 at the end of his juvenile season. In nothing like the same form this year on the upside slipping back down the handicap; on the downside he's looked more and more unreliable.

Form: 46-7366

Non-Runners

(2)

Clap Your Hands⁵⁰

Weight: 9-4| Age: 3

T: D M Simcock J: Tom Marquand

Forecasts

Creek Island (1/1), Conspiritor (2/1), Clap Your Hands (5/2), Greeley (3/1)

The quartet of runners all come into this contest with either questions to answer of something to prove. On the positive side for Creek Island his trainer (Mark Johnston) has a 27% strike-rate here with his three-year-old handicappers since 2014 but he does have to prove himself under quicker conditions. Clap Your Hands is unexposed and a potential improver but he doesn’t appear to have got in lightly and judged on his pedigree this trip still looks on the sharp side. A chance is taken with CONSPIRITOR who will appreciate this quick surface and wasn’t beaten too far at Sandown on his penultimate start. Greeley appears the least reliable of this quartet.