Racing Welfare For The Racing Community Novices' Handicap Chase (GBB Race)

Off time: 13:30 | Winning time: 4m 29.64s

Ballinsker²⁰

Age: 6| Weight: 11-12| J: Adam Wedge| T: Evan Williams| OR: 120

11/1

Point winner who landed 2m handicap hurdle at Southwell in June. Backed but ran too badly to be true on subsequent chase debut and again offered little after 3 months off last time. Best watched.

Form: 0-841P4

Pencreek^t²⁷

Age: 8| Weight: 11-11| J: Luca Morgan⁽⁵⁾| T: B Pauling| OR: 119

6/1

Lightly-raced hurdler who left previous efforts behind when making an impressive winning return at Bangor last month. Better than result when third in follow-up bid so respected on chase debut.

Form: 3330-14

Light N Strike¹⁶⁷

Age: 5| Weight: 11-10| J: Thomas Bellamy| T: Miss E C Lavelle| OR: 118WS

3/1

Proved consistent rather than progressive over hurdles, latest when runner-up at theis course back in May. Type to make a better chaser so certainly not one to write off.

Form: 22533-2

Isolate⁹¹

Age: 5| Weight: 11-9| J: J J Burke| T: A King| OR: 117

5/4

Fairly useful on Flat and won novices at Taunton and Leicester last autumn. Pleasing chase debut when third at Stratford and improved on that when runner-up at Newton Abbot since. Leading player.

Form: 038-332

Naizagai^p,t¹¹

Age: 4| Weight: 10-7| J: Max Kendrick| T: F O'Brien| OR: 110

9/2

Made winning start over hurdles at Cartmel last season and filled the frame next 6 starts. Stepped up on his reappearance when runner-up on chase bow 11 days ago so every chance of going one better.

Form: 4304-52

Forecasts

Isolate (5/4), Light N Strike (3/1), Naizagai (9/2), Pencreek (6/1), Ballinsker (11/1)

Tough to rule out any of the quintet but the vote goes to NAIZAGAI, who matched his hurdles form at the first time of asking when finishing runner-up at Sedgefield earlier this month. Armed with a 4-y-o weight allowance here, he's taken to go one better. Light N Strike is the type to make a better chaser so Emma Lavelle's charge could provide the main danger, ahead of Isolate.