15:50 Wincanton

Wednesday 26 February 2020

All14:1814:4815:1815:5016:2016:5017:20

Follow RacingTV On Instagram Novices' Hurdle

Off time: 15:52 | Winning time: 5m 37.77s

Ask For Glory^t⁸⁹

Age: 6| Weight: 11-2| J: H Cobden| T: P F Nicholls

1/5

Ninth in last year's Champion Bumper at Cheltenham and made a solid start to hurdles career when fourth to Son Of Camas in a race working out well at Newbury in November; will appreciate this longer trip, and should improve again.

Form: 119-4

Eurowork⁵⁶

Age: 6| Weight: 11-2| J: David Noonan| T: N J Hawke

5/1

Point-to-point winner last May and has performed with credit in two hurdles starts, although collateral form gives him plenty to find with Ask For Glory here; obvious candidate for some minor money though.

Form: 442-104

Into The Woods^t⁵

Age: 6| Weight: 11-2| J: T Scudamore| T: D Pipe

40/1

Placed in a couple of point-to-points last spring but has shown next to nothing in three hurdles starts; one to watch when stepping into handicaps on better ground this spring.

Form: P-220P0

Minella Beat^t1¹⁴⁴

Age: 7| Weight: 11-2| J: G Sheehan| T: Jamie Snowden| BFWS

5/2

Beaten 6½l by the classy Battleofdoyen in a bumper at Punchestown last year, a solid piece of form, and showed more than enough on hurdles debut at Fontwell last October, although bled; off since and had wind operation; one with a big chance.

Form: 1/32-2

Royal Martian⁵

Age: 6| Weight: 11-2| J: Sean Houlihan⁽³⁾| T: Mrs S Gardner

50/1

Has finished midfield in a bumper and novice hurdle so far, not showing enough to think he's going to be making an impact here.

Form: 88

Special Buddy⁷⁷

Age: 6| Weight: 11-2| J: David Bass| T: B Pauling

16/1

Placed in a point-to-point last March but stopped very quickly on hurdles debut at Leicester in December, probably not his true running; yard going better now, but this one still has a lot to find.

Form: 3U2-P

The Hotelier^t⁸⁵

Age: 5| Weight: 11-2| J: Thomas Bellamy| T: Kieran BurkeWS

33/1

Showed nowhere near enough in hurdles debut at Southwell in December to think he's going to trouble these, having been pulled up after hanging badly; no realistic chance here.

Form: P-3P

Non-Runners

Cannie Lad³

Weight: 11-2| Age: 5

T: M F Harris J: Daniel Sansom

Forecasts

Ask For Glory (1/5), Minella Beat (5/2), Eurowork (5/1), Special Buddy (16/1), The Hotelier (33/1), Into The Woods (40/1), Royal Martian (50/1), Cannie Lad (100/1)

On what we know this looks between Minella Beat and ASK FOR GLORY and with the former possibly needing this outing after a break, preference is for the Paul Nicholls inmate who ran well in a race at Newbury that has thrown up a couple of winners already, and should continue to work out well. The ground ought not be an issue for him, and he looks the one to be with. Special Buddy's poor run at Leicester can be forgiven and he might be the best of the rest, although both Eurowork and at a likely bigger price Cannie Lad both have claims to the bronze medal as well.