16:25 Ayr

Tuesday 29 September 2020

All12:3013:0013:3014:0514:4015:1515:5016:25

Microtech Group Handicap

Off time: 16:25 | Winning time: 3m 21.88s

(6)

Clearance³⁵

Age: 6| Weight: 10-1| J: P Mulrennan| T: I Jardine| OR: 81| CD

8/1

C&D winner. 21½ lengths tenth of 11 to Beechwood Jude in handicap (7/1) at Catterick (12.1f, heavy) 35 days ago, finding little. Conditions more suitable this time and likely to bounce back.

Form: 14-2110

(3)

Beechwood Jude¹¹

Age: 4| Weight: 10-0| J: Shane Gray| T: K Dalgleish| OR: 80

7/1

Latest win at Catterick in August. Fourth of 6 in handicap at this course (17.5f, good to soft, 7/2) 11 days ago. Probably a shade too high in the weights for now.

Form: 2541-14

(4)

Billy No Mates^h⁴^{(ex 5)}

Age: 4| Weight: 10-0| J: Connor Beasley| T: M Dods| OR: 75| C

3/1

Course winner. 5/1, won 9-runner handicap at Haydock (14f, good to soft) 4 days ago, overcoming positional bias. More needed under a penalty, but he's clearly in fine form and needs taking seriously.

Form: 025611

(2)

Hiroshima^p1³⁵

Age: 4| Weight: 9-12| J: Darragh Keenan⁽³⁾| T: J Ryan| OR: 78

6/1

Third of 8 in handicap at Catterick (13.9f, heavy, 22/1) 35 days ago. Hoped pinned on first-time cheekpieces helping him to reproduce something akin to his AW maiden success last spring.

Form: 003-003

(7)

Theatro³⁵

Age: 4| Weight: 9-11| J: G Lee| T: Jedd O'Keeffe| OR: 77

7/2

Below form fourth of 8 in handicap (4/1) at Catterick (13.9f, heavy) 35 days ago. Definite claims judged on what she showed on first 2 starts of the season (off higher marks than this).

Form: 32-3464

(1)

Dark Heart⁸⁶

Age: 3| Weight: 9-7| J: J Fanning| T: C & M Johnston| OR: 82

7/2

33/1, seventh of 8 in handicap at Haydock (14f, heavy) 86 days ago. Gelded since and worth another chance eased in class here off 3 lb lower mark and back on better ground.

Form: 3-31827

(5)

Sister Midnight^t¹¹

Age: 4| Weight: 9-2| J: Jamie Gormley| T: J S Goldie| OR: 68

16/1

16/1, fifth of 6 in handicap at this course (17.5f, good to soft) 11 days ago, unable to sustain effort. Can give a good account without posing serious threat to principals.

Form: 075655

Forecasts

Billy No Mates (3/1), Theatro (7/2), Dark Heart (7/2), Hiroshima (6/1), Beechwood Jude (7/1), Clearance (8/1), Sister Midnight (16/1)

DARK HEART misfired at Haydock in July, but he's been given time to recover from whatever held him back on that occasion (gelded in the interim) and is worth another chance over this sort of trip and on better ground. Clearance was well below par behind Beechwood Jude at Catterick, but conditions will be more suitable here and he is next best ahead of Theatro and hat-trick seeker Billy No Mates.