15:20 Newcastle

Saturday 30 November 2019

All11:4512:2012:5513:3014:0514:4015:20

Betfair Rehearsal Handicap Chase (Listed)

Off time: 15:20 | Winning time: 6m 20.2s

Lake View Lad²³⁸

Age: 9| Weight: 11-12| J: Henry Brooke| T: N W Alexander| OR: 156| CD

9/2

Enjoyed a stellar season in 18/19; beat Captain Chaos here before doing the double over that rival (Takingrisks third) in the Rowland Meyrick at Wetherby (3m, gd/sft); 1lb higher than when placed in the Ultima at last year's Cheltenham Festival.

Form: 23/113P-

Top Ville Ben^h²⁸

Age: 7| Weight: 11-7| J: Thomas Dowson| T: P A Kirby| OR: 151| D

11/2

Prominent-racer; won three-times over fences during his novice season (Hexham & Wetherby); fell in the RSA Chase at Cheltenham before an excellent third to Lostintranslation at Aintree (3m1f, soft); in deep in the Charlie Hall on seasonal bow.

Form: 15F13-5

Takingrisks²⁸

Age: 10| Weight: 10-13| J: Sean Quinlan| T: N G Richards| OR: 143| D

20/1

Strong stayer who handles most underfoot conditions; won for the fourth time over fences when springing a 25-1 surprise in the Scottish Grand National (4m, good) in April - beat Crosspark by 4L; 8lb higher after a recent spin over hurdles.

Form: 23611-5

Kilfilum Cross³⁰

Age: 8| Weight: 10-12| J: Dave Crosse| T: Henry Oliver| OR: 142

3/1

Unable to fend off the strong late challenge of Any Second Now in the Kim Muir at last year's Cheltenham Festival (3m2f, good to soft); 3lb higher here after an encouraging comeback third over an inadequate 2m3½f at Stratford (soft); of interest.

Form: 43124-3

Jonniesofa²⁸

Age: 9| Weight: 10-12| J: Craig Nichol| T: R Dobbin| OR: 142| C| D

11/4

Stable star at Rose Dobbin's Northumberland base; fragile (needs soft ground); deeply impressive when slamming his five rivals by 16L on return from a lengthy absence at Ayr (2m5½f, soft) four weeks ago; a 9lb rise may underestimate his abilities.

Form: 21912/1

Captain Redbeard³⁴

Age: 10| Weight: 10-12| J: Sam Coltherd⁽³⁾| T: W Coltherd| OR: 142| D

10/1

Took the prize scalp of Definitly Red in a match at Kelso (2m7f, good) in February; rounded off the season with a completion (16th) in the Grand National; should strip fitter for his Aintree comeback fourth to Burtons Well (3m1f); 2lb lower.

Form: 96130-4

Lachlan Bridge^h1¹⁴

Age: 11| Weight: 10-7| J: Miss Becky Smith⁽³⁾| T: Micky Hammond| OR: 137| D

100/1

Former French racer with his fair share of issues at the start (has refused to race on numerous occasions); recalcitrant and pulled up before the first at Wetherby a fortnight ago; no conceivable chance on that display; is newly hooded.

Form: 1P63/PP

Rock On Fruity²³⁸

Age: 10| Weight: 10-4| J: Alain Cawley| T: B Haslam| OR: 134| CD

40/1

Made a mockery of a mark of 125 when winning at odds of 40-1 here (2m4f, soft) last December before doubling-up over 3m next time; struggled in the Eider Chase (4m) in February and this is equally competitive; first start for 238 days.

Form: 711954-

Captain Chaos^p1³⁵

Age: 8| Weight: 10-1| J: Bridget Andrews| T: D Skelton| OR: 131| C

6/1

Often found Lake View Lad to be his nemesis last season, including when a 2¾L runner-up in this race 12 months ago (now 16lb better off); well shy of the required standard so far this season - made mistakes and has appeared fairly moody; risky.

Form: 8226-6P

Forecasts

Jonniesofa (11/4), Kilfilum Cross (3/1), Lake View Lad (9/2), Top Ville Ben (11/2), Captain Chaos (6/1), Captain Redbeard (10/1), Takingrisks (20/1), Rock On Fruity (40/1), Lachlan Bridge (100/1)

Nick Alexander's stable star Lake View Lad enjoyed a stellar 2018/19 season which included beating Captain Chaos by 2¾L (16lb better off) in the 2018 Rehearsal Chase, but it'll be a mighty fine weight-carrying performance if he can repeat that success. Conversely Kilfilum Cross remains handily weighted (142) if he's able to build positively upon an encouraging comeback run over an inadequate trip at Stratford (third), while maximum respect must be awarded to the fragile but talented Jonniesofa. However, the nod is for the handicap debutant and prominent-racer TOP VILLE BEN. His sights are lowered considerably from Wetherby's Grade 2 Charlie Hall Chase (3m).