Betway Handicap

Off time: 18:00 | Winning time: 1m 0.15s

(4)

Exalted Angel²⁵

Age: 5| Weight: 9-7| J: C Lee| T: K R Burke| OR: 105| D

2/1

7/2, creditable second of 7 in handicap at this C&D 25 days ago, slowly away. Mark unchanged and he should be in the thick of things once more.

Form: 254092

(5)

Tone The Barone^t¹⁰⁵

Age: 5| Weight: 8-13| J: Marco Ghiani| T: S C Williams| OR: 97| D

9/4

Nine wins from 23 Flat runs. Ninth of 10 in handicap (18/1) at Haydock (5f, firm), reportedly bled. Off 105 days and big player if on-song returned to the AW.

Form: 231779

(1)

Mulzim⁵²

Age: 7| Weight: 8-10| J: Daniel Muscutt| T: M Murphy| OR: 94| C| D

17/2

Course winner. Seven wins from 24 Flat runs. 3 wins from 8 runs this year. Last of 14 in handicap at Nottingham (5f, good, 66/1) 52 days ago, though, and others look stronger.

Form: 116290

(2)

Marnie James¹¹

Age: 6| Weight: 8-2| J: Tyler Heard⁽⁵⁾| T: S Dixon| OR: 85| D

12/1

Seventeen runs since last win in 2018. Twelfth of 13 in handicap (11/1) at Southwell (5f) 11 days ago. Couple of solid placed efforts here prior to that and he's in with a shout.

Form: 470320

(3)

Lihou¹¹

Age: 5| Weight: 8-2| J: Hollie Doyle| T: P D Evans| OR: 83| CD

10/3

C&D winner. Respectable fifth of 13 in handicap at Southwell (5f, 9/1) 11 days ago. Likely to find one or two too good once again.

Form: 057445

(6)

Thegreatestshowman^b²³

Age: 5| Weight: 8-2| J: Jonny Peate⁽⁷⁾| T: Miss A Murphy| OR: 82| CD

16/1

C&D winner. Latest win here in October. 5/1, sixth of 9 in handicap at Chelmsford City (5f) 23 days ago. Has work to do from 4 lb out of the handicap proper.

Form: 742616

Forecasts

Exalted Angel (2/1), Tone The Barone (9/4), Lihou (10/3), Mulzim (17/2), Marnie James (12/1), Thegreatestshowman (16/1)

Preference is for TONE THE BARONE, who clearly wasn't 100% last time, and while all five of his victories on the all-weather have been gained on polytrack, he went close on his sole previous visit here in February. Exalted Angel was a length ahead of third-placed Marnie James when runner-up over C&D last month and they are taken to fill those places once again.