Christmas Meeting At leicesterraces 28th December Book Now Novices' Hurdle (GBB Race)

Off time: 13:55 | Winning time: 5m 22.05s

Pitch It Up³³

Age: 5| Weight: 10-12| J: Thomas Bellamy| T: Miss E C Lavelle

14/1

Offered little sole bumper start but set to make much more of an impact over hurdles but for stumbling/slithering on landing on 2 separate occasions at Chepstow last month. This will reveal more.

Form: 0-0

Reilly²⁶

Age: 5| Weight: 10-12| J: Harry Skelton| T: D Skelton

4/11

€85,000 Milan gelding. Runner-up sole start in bumpers and again shaped well when second to Brief Times on hurdles bow at Exeter (16.7f) on back of a wind op. Open to improvement upped in trip.

Form: 2-2

Surrey Quest^t1¹⁸⁶

Age: 4| Weight: 10-11| J: James Bowen| T: N J HendersonWS

11/4

£50,000 3-y-o, Milan gelding. Fair form when second behind stablemate on bumper debut at Warwick in May. Entitled to be sharer for that experience now sights are set on hurdling on back of a wind op.

Form: 2

Non-Runners

Marble Sands¹

Weight: 10-12| Age: 5

T: F O'Brien J: P J Brennan

Forecasts

Reilly (4/11), Marble Sands (1/1), Surrey Quest (11/4), Pitch It Up (14/1)

A fairly useful sort in bumpers, MARBLE SANDS showed promise and may well have come out on top but for a last flight error on hurdles bow at Lingfield 3 weeks ago. He improved again, though only third of 4, at Newcastle on Saturday and will be the one to beat if turned out again quickly. Reilly is fancied to pose the chief threat, ahead of Surrey Quest.