13:35 Hexham

Friday 8 November 2019

All13:0013:3514:1014:4515:1515:50

Weatherbys VAT Services Handicap Hurdle

Off time: 13:36 | Winning time: 4m 25.8s

Glenpark⁴⁴

Age: 4| Weight: 11-12| J: Thomas Willmott⁽⁵⁾| T: Miss Lucinda V Russell| OR: 99

11/2

Finished tired when a distant third to Le Milos at Sandown (2m, soft) in March and perhaps that race has left it's mark; is easing noticeably in the weights/grade and enters the thought process on that basis; stable flying.

Form: 47430-8

Bingo D'Olivate^h²¹⁶

Age: 8| Weight: 11-7| J: B S Hughes| T: J Ewart| OR: 94| D

9/4

Effective under these conditions as shown with a gritty display at Ayr (2m3½f, heavy) last November; finished third in this race in 2017 (for Gemma Anderson); seasonal reappearance off the back of a fall at Newcastle.

Form: F6/163F-

Hey Bob^t³⁸

Age: 7| Weight: 11-3| J: Thomas Dowson| T: C Grant| OR: 90| D

6/1

Has shown marked improvement over the course of the past 12 months or so, recording a third career success latest (Sedgefield, 2m1f soft); raised 11lb to a career high mark of 90; more on his plate.

Form: U24551

Dark And Dangerous^b²⁵⁰

Age: 11| Weight: 11-3| J: Amie Waugh⁽⁵⁾| T: S Waugh| OR: 90| D

20/1

No win since completing a hat-trick at Sedgefield (2m1f, soft) in March 2017; has slipped back down the weights as a result; absent since finishing 9L second to Hard To Forget at Sedgefield (2m4f) in March.

Form: 49/6852-

Wor Verge^t¹⁷⁸

Age: 6| Weight: 11-3| J: James Corbett⁽⁵⁾| T: S Corbett| OR: 90

18/1

14-race maiden; has seemingly regressed (rated 16lb lower) since finishing 13L third to Canny Style at Sedgefield (2m1f, good to soft) last November.

Form: P09P0-5

Uno Valoroso¹⁸⁸

Age: 11| Weight: 11-2| J: Jamie Hamilton| T: M Walford| OR: 89| CD

10/1

Veteran chaser; without a win since late 2017 (Bangor, 2m1½f soft); won't be at all troubled by the underfoot conditions, and rated 10lb lower than when finishing fifth in this race in 2017 (hasn't run over hurdles since); isn't discounted.

Form: 25423-6

Sweet Flora¹³

Age: 5| Weight: 11-0| J: Callum Bewley| T: Kenny Johnson| OR: 87

66/1

Soundly beaten in a maiden hurdle at Kelso (2m, good to soft) a fortnight ago, so it's difficult to identify a positive angle; makes her handicap debut for a doubly represented trainer; is part owned by the Hexham Chief Executive Robert Whitelock.

Form: 75340

Mandarin Princess³⁸

Age: 4| Weight: 11-0| J: Alison Clarke⁽⁷⁾| T: Kenny Johnson| OR: 87

40/1

19-race maiden (0-6 over hurdles); beaten approximately 25L when fifth of 12 to the reopposing Hey Bob at Sedgefield (2m1f, soft) last month; hastily dismissed stablemate of Sweet Flora.

Form: P06675

Casimir Du Clos²⁷

Age: 7| Weight: 10-8| J: Sam Coltherd⁽³⁾| T: W Coltherd| OR: 81| CD

5/2

A winner for the second time over fences when keeping on strongly to dispatch seven rivals here (1m7½f, soft) last month; remains very lowly-weighted as connections seek to exploit an advantageous hurdles mark; shortlisted.

Form: 7P145-1

Outback Blue¹⁵

Age: 6| Weight: 10-4| J: Grant Cockburn⁽³⁾| T: G Bewley| OR: 77

10/1

14-race hurdles maiden who has probably seen his stamina overstretched beyond 2m; that said, generally speaking he doesn't possess a great deal of positive attributes either; handicap mark sliding.

Form: 8474-69

Forecasts

Bingo D'Olivate (9/4), Casimir Du Clos (5/2), Glenpark (11/2), Hey Bob (6/1), Uno Valoroso (10/1), Outback Blue (10/1), Wor Verge (18/1), Dark And Dangerous (20/1), Mandarin Princess (40/1), Sweet Flora (66/1)

Glenpark has his sights set at a more realistic level and given the form of the Lucinda Russell stable is one to keep firmly on side, whereas the improving (but exposed) Hey Bob will find life far tougher than at Sedgefield following an 11lb weights rise. However, a chance is taken on the recent course winner (fences) CASIMIR DU CLOS. He hasn't shown much in the way of an aptitude for hurdling previously, but the Selkirk trainer Stuart Coltherd has him in better form over the larger obstacles these days, and he could quite feasibly make a mockery of a lowly hurdles mark.