14:10 Taunton

Monday 15 March 2021

All14:1014:4015:1015:4016:1016:4017:10

William Hill Pick Your Places Maiden Hurdle (GBB Race)

Off time: 14:10 | Winning time: 4m 22.73s

Balinesker Beach^t¹⁸

Age: 6| Weight: 11-2| J: David Noonan| T: Jack Barber

250/1

£55,000 Fame And Glory gelding. Failed to complete all starts in points and well held on hurdles bow.

Form: FP-P0

Image of Stars that are filled with the colour gold

Doyens De Ante²⁹

Age: 5| Weight: 11-2| J: James Best| T: M Young

125/1

€6,000 Doyen gelding. Big price but showed ability starting out at Warwick. Well held at Exeter since, however. Makes hurdles debut.

Form: 44

Earth Business²³

Age: 5| Weight: 11-2| J: Brendan Powell| T: C L Tizzard

11/1

Fetched €70,000 as a 3-y-o and shaped well when third in a good ground course bumper in November. Failed to meet expectations sent hurdling 4 months on at Wincanton but still early days.

Form: 38

Iron Mike²⁹

Age: 5| Weight: 11-2| J: Angus Cheleda⁽⁷⁾| T: Nick Mitchell| OR: 122

5/2

Fair 12f Flat winner who ran best race over hurdles when second of 16 at Wincanton, making odds-on favourite pull out all the stops. Stiff task at listed level since and big player back down in class.

Form: 36F2P

Pol Ma Cree^t¹⁸

Age: 6| Weight: 11-2| J: Benjamin Poste| T: Miss G Haywood

400/1

Twice-raced maiden. Tongue strap on for 1st time, eighth of 9 in bumper at Chepstow (16f, heavy, 150/1) 18 days ago. Makes hurdles debut.

Form: P8

Rectory Oak¹⁷⁷

Age: 6| Weight: 11-2| J: T J O'Brien| T: C L Tizzard

22/1

Encouraging second at Exeter and still green 17 months on at Newton Abbot in September. Makes hurdles debut.

Form: 2-4

That Ole Chestnut¹²

Age: 6| Weight: 11-2| J: Rex Dingle| T: J Scott

100/1

Half-brother to fairly useful hurdler/smart chaser Drovers Lane and bumper winner/fairly useful hurdler Thats My Rabbit. Minor promise only in 4 starts so far.

Form: 06-49

Trwyn Du^h1⁸⁹

Age: 5| Weight: 11-2| J: C Gethings| T: K Bailey & M Nicholls| BF

80/1

€34,000 3-y-o, Valirann gelding. Strong in betting but only eighth of 9 in bumper at Ludlow (14f, heavy, 7/4) on NH debut 89 days ago. Makes hurdles debut. Hooded for 1st time.

Form: 8

Rock Of Star

Age: 4| Weight: 10-8| J: Kielan Woods| T: Alexandra Dunn

80/1

€25,000 3-y-o, Nom De D'la gelding. Half-brother to fairly useful hurdler/smart chaser Red Risk and temperamental but fairly useful hurdler/chaser Risk And Roll.

Form:

Tulin^t1²⁶⁰

Age: 4| Weight: 10-8| J: Harry Cobden| T: P F Nicholls

5/1

Fair form when narrow winner of 1½m maiden on second of 2 starts on Flat in France in 2020 for A. & G. Botti. Has joined powerful yard so likely type on jumps debut.

Form:

Vulcan^t1⁵¹

Age: 4| Weight: 10-8| J: Sam Twiston-Davies| T: Dr R D P NewlandWS

8/11

Useful on Flat, stayed 10.5f, sold from Harry Dunlop 170,000 gns in October. Failed to justify support on hurdling bow at Ascot but shaped really well and is a sure-fire improver. Wind op/tongue tied.

Form: 3

Non-Runners

Bruelay¹⁴²

Weight: 11-2| Age: 6

T: T Dennis J: Non Runner

Gaelic Thunder⁵⁵

Weight: 11-2| Age: 6

T: C Honour J: Non Runner

Bright Eyed Eagle¹⁸³

Weight: 10-8| Age: 4

T: O Murphy J: Non Runner

Forecasts

Vulcan (8/11), Iron Mike (5/2), Tulin (5/1), Bright Eyed Eagle (7/1), Earth Business (11/1), Rectory Oak (22/1), Trwyn Du (80/1), Rock Of Star (80/1), That Ole Chestnut (100/1), Bruelay (100/1), Gaelic Thunder (100/1), Doyens De Ante (125/1), Balinesker Beach (250/1), Pol Ma Cree (400/1)

VULCAN couldn't justify support on his hurdles debut at Ascot but he still shaped really well in a race which has since been massively franked, so gets the vote. Tulin was a winner on the Flat in France and looks an interesting recruit for Paul Nicholls, while Iron Mike is a contender back down in class.