Sedgefield Racecourse Handicap Hurdle

Off time: 16:30 | Winning time: 6m 57.55s

Little Millie^v⁶²

Age: 7| Weight: 11-10| J: Jonathon Bewley⁽³⁾| T: G Bewley| OR: 117

12/1

Won back-to-back staying hurdles (Uttoxeter and Warwick) for Neil King earlier in the year; 6lb above her last winning mark and soundly beaten in a 3m Perth novice on debut for George Bewley in July; should handle soft ground.

Form: 211-833

Sporting Boy^t⁴²

Age: 11| Weight: 11-10| J: B S Hughes| T: J Farrelly| OR: 117

9/2

Jumped soundly, making all when winning in a hack canter (by 6L) at Stratford (3m2f, good to soft) in June; bitterly disappointing over hurdles since (PP) and appears to be difficult to predict; a risky proposition.

Form: 2513PP

Chanceiton^t⁵

Age: 8| Weight: 10-11| J: Blair Campbell⁽³⁾| T: Miss Lucinda V Russell| OR: 104| BF

13/8

His 2019 form figures read 312221; mugged by the staying on Lady London over fences at Perth (3m, good to soft) on his penultimate start, he made amends back there under young Cameron Wadge last week; is attractively weighted over hurdles (104).

Form: 312221

Simply Mani^p⁴⁵

Age: 7| Weight: 10-7| J: Henry Brooke| T: P D Niven| OR: 100WS

7/2

11-race maiden; has had wind surgery since finishing 10L third to Jen's Boy at Market Rasen (2m7f, good) in August; a watching and monitoring brief is advised; others considered much more likely.

Form: 357-543

Nemean Lion^b1,t¹⁵

Age: 7| Weight: 10-0| J: Thomas Dowson| T: P A Kirby| OR: 89| CD

11/4

Doesn't appear to be cut out for chasing (0-4); has stamina a plenty - justified favouritism when scoring from an 11lb higher mark over C&D (good) last November; should the newly-applied blinkers provide the spark, he wouldn't be a forlorn hope.

Form: P-36757

Non-Runners

Squouateur¹³

Weight: 11-12| Age: 8

T: B Haslam J: R P McLernon

Handy Hollow²⁶

Weight: 11-1| Age: 6

T: D McCain Jnr J: Lorcan Murtagh

Forecasts

Chanceiton (13/8), Nemean Lion (11/4), Simply Mani (7/2), Handy Hollow (4/1), Sporting Boy (9/2), Squouateur (9/2), Little Millie (12/1)

A tight stayers handicap hurdle, in which the attractively weighted Chanceiton will have his share of supporters on the back of a recent productive spell over fences (winner at Perth last week). Meanwhile, Handy Hollow is expected to run his usual solid race, while the newly-blinkered Nemean Lion certainly needs a revival, yet isn't considered to be a forlorn hope. However, we'll opt for the top-weight SQUOUATEUR. Campaigned mainly over fences in recent years, he shaped with a deal of encouragement on his return to the smaller obstacles in a seemingly deep Class 2 hurdle at Kelso (2m5f) a fortnight ago, and sits on an eye-catching reduced handicap mark of 119.