888sport What's Your Thinking Handicap

Off time: 15:08 | Winning time: 3m 28.97s

(1)

Whitehaven¹⁴

Age: 4| Weight: 9-12| J: Oisin Murphy| T: H Morrison| OR: 87| C| D

6/4

Complete the hat-trick over 1½m here on final run of last season, and opened 2021 account in good style upped to this trip at Haydock (good to soft) a fortnight ago. Big player despite 6 lb rise.

Form: 1-60221

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(3)

Royaume Uni¹¹

Age: 4| Weight: 9-11| J: R L Moore| T: G & J Moore| OR: 86| D

7/4

Not disgraced back from a break in a competitive 2m Ascot handicap earlier this month, and subsequently landed the odds over hurdles at Plumpton. On a fair mark and he has to enter calculations.

Form: 015-15

(5)

Solo Saxophone^v²⁰

Age: 7| Weight: 9-11| J: P Mulrennan| T: B Haslam| OR: 86| CD

14/1

Capped productive 2020 campaign by seeing off sole rival with minimum fuss in this race 12 months ago. It's been a struggle this season, though, and he's hard to recommend at present.

Form: 3-90486

(4)

Galahad Threepwood²⁹

Age: 4| Weight: 9-9| J: James Doyle| T: M R Channon| OR: 84

9/2

Dual AW winner who put in a good shift when third of 11 off this mark upped to 14.2f at Salisbury (heavy) last time. By no means certain to benefit from this further increase in trip, though.

Form: 323403

(6)

Ernesto^t⁴¹

Age: 6| Weight: 9-2| J: D C Costello| T: Ian Williams| OR: 77

14/1

Dual hurdles winner this year and bettered initial efforts since returning to this sphere when fourth of 9 in the Cesarewitch Trial here (2¼m, good) last month. Dangerous to discount.

Form: 985-854

Non-Runners

(2)

Indianapolis²⁸

Weight: 9-6| Age: 6

T: Ian Williams J: P J McDonald

Forecasts

Whitehaven (6/4), Royaume Uni (7/4), Indianapolis (4/1), Galahad Threepwood (9/2), Solo Saxophone (14/1), Ernesto (14/1)

None of these can be ruled out with complete confidence, but ROYAUME UNI's claims are the strongest on the back of a decisive hurdles success at Plumpton. Indeed, he remains on an attractive mark and is still relatively lightly-raced in this sphere. Whitehaven is bound to be popular having improved for the step up to this trip at Haydock recently, but Ernesto is second choice.