Southern Cranes & Access Ltd Handicap Hurdle

Off time: 16:19 | Winning time: 3m 41.48s

Laura Bullion^t1²⁰⁵

Age: 5| Weight: 11-12| J: Lewis Stones⁽⁷⁾| T: O Murphy| OR: 123| D

16/1

Hurdle winner for Noel Meade in Ireland last summer. Below par on the Flat when last seen in the spring but needs a betting check now setting out for a new yard after a break. Has tongue tie added.

Form: 32/1440-

Pawpaw²³

Age: 4| Weight: 11-8| J: C Gethings| T: P R Webber| OR: 120| D

9/1

Made a good start over hurdles in the spring (won Southwell maiden) but was below par in a couple of comeback runs last month. Needs to recapture his best.

Form: 541-246

Can't Stop Now^h²⁶

Age: 4| Weight: 11-7| J: Tom Cannon| T: C Gordon| OR: 119| D

22/1

Fair maiden on Flat who came good at third time of asking over hurdles when making all at Fakenham last November. Last of 11 in handicap there in March and suffered similar fate on Flat last month.

Form: 3P1F0-

Alborkan^h¹⁸²

Age: 4| Weight: 11-5| J: J M Quinlan| T: Miss A Murphy| OR: 117| BF| CD

7/2

Flat winner who, with a hood fitted, left previous hurdling form well behind when landing C&D maiden in April. Close third at Market Rasen later that month. Respected now handicapping on return.

Form: 6613-

Royaume Uni¹⁷

Age: 4| Weight: 11-4| J: N F Houlihan⁽⁵⁾| T: G & J Moore| OR: 116| D

4/7

Bumper/Flat winner on Lingfield's AW at the start of the year. Ran a couple of solid races in handicap hurdles in the spring and he comes here fit from a recent spin on the Flat. Leading claims.

Form: 741424-

Peterborough^p1⁴⁸

Age: 8| Weight: 10-10| J: Adam Wedge| T: Evan Williams| OR: 107| BF| D

12/1

Campaigned largely over fences in recent years, finishing second at Newton Abbot in August but a remote fourth there since. Does have a slightly lower mark to work with over hurdles. Cheekpieces on.

Form: 454U24

Forecasts

Royaume Uni (4/7), Alborkan (7/2), Pawpaw (9/1), Peterborough (12/1), Laura Bullion (16/1), Can't Stop Now (22/1)

ROYAUME UNI warmed up for this with a run on the Flat at Ascot at the start of the month and is probably the one to beat as this is certainly less competitive than the handicap hurdles he reached the frame in last spring. Alborkan looks the chief threat if reproducing the sort of form he showed when landing a C&D maiden in April.