13:13 Uttoxeter

Saturday 29 January 2022

All12:0812:3813:1313:4814:2214:5715:3316:08

Virgin Bet Maiden Hurdle (GBB Race) (Div 2)

Off time: 13:15 | Winning time: 4m 14.53s

Barnie Beetle

Age: 5| Weight: 11-6| J: Henry Brooke| T: O Greenall & J Guerriero

50/1

Firebreak gelding out of a 2m hurdle winner who stayed 25f (also an 11.5f winner on Flat). Yard's newcomers usually come on for a run and probably best watched on this occasion.

Form:

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Benign Dictator⁴³

Age: 5| Weight: 11-6| J: Fergus Gregory| T: O Murphy| CD

3/1

Well-bred sort who improved to land a C&D bumper on first start for this yard in November. Far from disgraced in a listed event at Ascot subsequently and should make his mark over hurdles.

Form: 4F-18

Drenagh²³

Age: 7| Weight: 11-6| J: S Bowen| T: A Ralph| OR: 109

10/11

Placed in a pair of bumpers in early 2020 and has found only one too good both starts over hurdles, latterly at Chepstow (2m). Sets the standard in this sphere.

Form: 5332/22

Ez Tiger¹⁵

Age: 5| Weight: 11-6| J: C Gethings| T: A M Hales

40/1

No great shakes in bumpers and showed only a bit before departing late on Huntingdon hurdling debut.

Form: 6-P9F

Nine Nine Nine⁷⁹

Age: 5| Weight: 11-6| J: W T Kennedy| T: S-J Davies

25/1

All the rage in the market but needed experience in sole bumper. Showed some ability behind a useful one on Fakenham hurdle bow but not so good at Taunton. Has since left Nigel Twiston-Davies.

Form: 6-26

Russian Virtue³⁹

Age: 5| Weight: 11-6| J: Tabitha Worsley⁽³⁾| T: C Hobson

12/1

Fairly useful maiden on Flat, stays 1¼m. Below form last 3 starts in that sphere but made a decent enough start over hurdles after 3 months off when second at Pumpton last month. Likely to improve.

Form: 2

Sullivan's Brow¹⁵

Age: 7| Weight: 11-6| J: Theo Gillard⁽⁵⁾| T: D McCain Jnr

16/1

Winning pointer who failed to see things out on his sole outing in bumpers and it was a similar story sent hurdling upped in trip at Sedgefield 15 days ago.

Form: 3-164

Western Baron

Age: 5| Weight: 11-6| J: T J O'Brien| T: C L Tizzard

5/1

€30,000 3-y-o, Westerner gelding. Brother to 2 winners, including useful hurdler/fairly useful chaser Anything Will Do, and half-brother to useful hurdler/chaser Stand Up And Fight.

Form:

Non-Runners

Mothill²¹

Weight: 10-7| Age: 4

T: N P Mulholland J: Harry Reed

Forecasts

Drenagh (10/11), Benign Dictator (3/1), Western Baron (5/1), Russian Virtue (12/1), Sullivan's Brow (16/1), Nine Nine Nine (25/1), Mothill (33/1), Ez Tiger (40/1), Barnie Beetle (50/1)

BENIGN DICTATOR has shown enough in bumpers to suggest a race of this nature over hurdles is within his compass, so he's preferred to Drenagh, who sets the standard in this sphere on his pair of runner-up efforts. Of the rest, Western Baron is a well-bred newcomer to keep an eye on.