At The Races App Expert Tips Handicap Hurdle

Off time: 14:57 | Winning time: 4m 41.22s

Stoner's Choice^p,t³⁷

Age: 7| Weight: 12-0| J: Max Kendrick| T: F O'Brien| OR: 135| D

15/2

Winning start over fences in a match at Kempton in May but let down by some shoddy jumping on his next 2 starts. Prone to mistakes in this sphere, too, and probably worth taking on here, for all that he's on on a good mark.

Form: 365-143

Galore Desassences^p²⁸

Age: 6| Weight: 11-9| J: Tom Buckley⁽³⁾| T: N J Hawke| OR: 130

7/2

Much improved in cheekpieces last season, landing Taunton maiden and Wincanton handicap prior to finishing third in a Grade 2 Kempton novice. Best to draw a line through his Ascot reappearance and he has to enter calculations.

Form: P3113-P

Finisk River^p,t⁴¹

Age: 9| Weight: 11-7| J: Peter Kavanagh⁽⁵⁾| T: D McCain Jnr| OR: 128

3/1

Winner of 4 of his 6 starts since equipped with this headgear combination. Hard to grumble with a 7 lb rise for latest wide-margin success in a 4-runner Sedgefield handicap (19.8f, good to soft) but this is a more competitive race.

Form: 212111

Vintage Fizz²⁸

Age: 5| Weight: 11-2| J: Henry Brooke| T: Jedd O'Keeffe| OR: 123

11/2

Progressed during the spring, bagging handicaps at Bangor and Hexham, both at around 2½m on good to soft. Misfired on return at Wetherby but worth another chance given the good strides that he made at the end of last season.

Form: 3R21-18

Big Bad Bear⁴²

Age: 8| Weight: 11-0| J: Sean Quinlan| T: N G Richards| OR: 121| CD

15/8

Ended last season with handicap wins at Newcastle and Perth, and duly put low-key reappearance behind him when going down narrowly at Market Rasen (20.6f, good to soft) last time. Successful in this race in 2020 and another bold show anticipated.

Form: 11-4352

Mythical Hero³¹

Age: 5| Weight: 10-8| J: James Davies| T: A West| OR: 115

50/1

Won on hurdles debut in Ireland last autumn but largely disappointed since, offering little in 2 starts on the Flat and one run over hurdles for new yard in recent months.

Form: P549-F6

Non-Runners

Dr Sanderson²⁹

Weight: 11-1| Age: 8

T: B Haslam J: Jack Hogan

Forecasts

Big Bad Bear (15/8), Finisk River (3/1), Galore Desassences (7/2), Vintage Fizz (11/2), Stoner's Choice (15/2), Dr Sanderson (20/1), Mythical Hero (50/1)

The vote goes to GALORE DESASSENCES, who is on a fair mark judged on his fine effort in a Grade 2 novice last season and while he was pulled up on return at Ascot, that run can be overlooked given that he was badly hampered at the fourth flight, causing his rider to lose his irons. Finisk River is on a roll but he's in deeper waters here and bigger threats may be posed by 2020 winner Big Bad Bear and Vintage Fizz.