15:03 Southwell

Monday 22 March 2021

All12:3013:0013:3014:0314:3315:0315:33

Sky Sports Racing HD Virgin 535 Handicap Hurdle

Off time: 15:03 | Winning time: 5m 20.19s

File Illico³⁴

Age: 6| Weight: 11-12| J: Jonjo O'Neill Jr.| T: J & A O'Neill| OR: 110

6/1

Cost £58,000 after easily landing an Irish maiden point last year. Yet to shine over hurdles, but may have needed the run on handicap bow at Catterick (19.3f, heavy) and better ground here may help.

Form: 1-448

Pounding Poet⁸⁵

Age: 5| Weight: 11-12| J: R T Dunne| T: T Lacey| OR: 110

9/1

Second in Uttoxeter bumper on debut and stepped up on previous hurdles efforts when fourth in an 8-runner Wetherby novice (2m, heavy) in December. Open to improvement now pitched into a handicap.

Form: 2694

Imperial Acolyte²²

Age: 7| Weight: 11-12| J: Sam Twiston-Davies| T: N & W Twiston-Davies| OR: 110| D

12/1

Eased in weights and capitalised to end long losing run at Ffos Las in November, scoring readily. Not in the same form both subsequent starts, though, and there's an air of vulnerability about him.

Form: UU2145

Holly James^v1²⁶

Age: 7| Weight: 11-12| J: James Bowen| T: Evan Williams| OR: 110

20/1

Winner of a Ffos Las novice early last term and signed off 2019/20 campaign with a solid second in 21f Warwick handicap. However, he has offered little so far this season and now tried in a visor.

Form: 2-PP4P7

Une De La Seniere^t⁴¹

Age: 6| Weight: 11-9| J: P J Brennan| T: F O'Brien| OR: 107| D

15/2

Resumed winning ways with a career-best at Leicester (20.5f, soft) in November. By no means disgraced back from a break in a jumpers bumper at Kempton and she has to enter calculations.

Form: 6-7P514

Let Me Entertain U^p1²²

Age: 5| Weight: 11-9| J: R Patrick| T: M Scudamore| OR: 107

25/1

Heavy-ground bumper winner on debut, but modest form at best over hurdles so far and first-time cheekpieces will need to spark improvement if he's to play a leading role here.

Form: 0-54556

Conceal^t1¹⁹

Age: 6| Weight: 11-9| J: N de Boinville| T: B Pauling| OR: 107

16/1

Fair form shown on first two starts over hurdles, but he was pulled up on recent handicap debut at Wincanton. First-time tongue strap enlisted.

Form: 83-285P

Steel Wave^p,t¹²

Age: 11| Weight: 11-8| J: William Shanahan⁽⁷⁾| T: G Hanmer| OR: 106| D

66/1

Dual Bangor chase winner in 2019. Entitled to come on for Catterick reappearance in this sphere (first run for 16 months), but this 11-y-o is hard to warm to nonetheless.

Form: 5733P-7

She's Gina^b²¹

Age: 8| Weight: 11-5| J: Harry Skelton| T: D Skelton| OR: 103| CD

11/4

Made sound start for Dan Skelton when third of 8 at Taunton (19f, good) in November. Fair to say that she has failed to build on that since, but worth considering with blinkers refitted all the same.

Form: 8P-3564

Midnight Trouble⁹⁰⁷

Age: 9| Weight: 11-0| J: Jamie Bargary| T: Mrs E Bishop| OR: 98

150/1

Failed to make much of an impact in a bumper nor his 4 starts over hurdles for Nigel Twiston-Davies. Readily passed over on debut for new yard.

Form: 45898/

Getthepot³²

Age: 6| Weight: 10-9| J: Kielan Woods| T: D Killahena & G McPherson| OR: 93

6/1

Has cut little ice in 4 starts uner Rules and vast improvement needed now upped in trip for this handicap debut.

Form: P/5-4987

Desert De Bruyere¹⁰²

Age: 8| Weight: 10-5| J: Benjamin Poste| T: Mrs R Gasson| OR: 89

22/1

Some fair efforts to his name in 2018, but efforts since returning from a lengthy absence in November have lacked spark.

Form: 334P/P0

Ex S'elance²⁷

Age: 7| Weight: 10-0| J: Alain Cawley| T: Micky Hammond| OR: 83

6/1

Cashed in on reduced mark to land a gamble in 2m3f handicap at Cattercik last month. However, he's not the most reliable of propositions and unsurprisingly failed to back that up at Wetherby since.

Form: 2-P8015

Non-Runners

Those Tiger Feet³⁰

Weight: 11-10| Age: 7

T: K Bailey & M Nicholls J: C Gethings

Forecasts

She's Gina (11/4), Getthepot (6/1), File Illico (6/1), Ex S'elance (6/1), Those Tiger Feet (6/1), Une De La Seniere (15/2), Pounding Poet (9/1), Imperial Acolyte (12/1), Conceal (16/1), Holly James (20/1), Desert De Bruyere (22/1), Let Me Entertain U (25/1), Steel Wave (66/1), Midnight Trouble (150/1)

Preference is for SHE'S GINA, who is now 3 lb lower than when third on debut for Dan Skelton at Taunton in November and her form figures over this C&D read 112. Une de La Seniere put in a good shift in a jumpers bumper last time and should have a part to play, while File Illico is surely capable of better than he has shown under Rules and Pounding Poet is a potential improver now handicapping.