14:00 Hereford

Wednesday 15 February 2023

All13:3014:0014:3015:0015:3516:1016:40

Vickers.Bet Fillies' Juvenile Maiden Hurdle (GBB Race)

Off time: 14:01 | Winning time: 3m 54.3s

Bellshill Beauty⁴⁰

Age: 4| Weight: 11-0| J: W T Kennedy| T: S-J Davies

150/1

Dam half-sister to useful hurdler (stayed 3m) Albany. Modest maiden handicapper on Flat, stays 1½m, unplaced last time.

Form:

By Pass^p⁵¹

Age: 4| Weight: 11-0| J: Harry Kimber⁽³⁾| T: W G M Turner

125/1

Modest Flat maiden and not even at that level first 2 starts over hurdles.

Form: 5P

Circus Act²²

Age: 4| Weight: 11-0| J: Gavin Brouder⁽⁵⁾| T: J Nash| OR: 94

7/2

Modest hurdler. 9/2, creditable third of 11 in handicap hurdle at Down Royal (17.2f, soft) 3 weeks ago. Clearly has her limitations but this isn't a strong race.

Form: U06333

Feryl Beryl^p⁴⁵

Age: 4| Weight: 11-0| J: Chris Ward⁽³⁾| T: Deborah Cole

125/1

Scorpion filly. Half-sister to bumper winner Duke of Rockingham. Dam, maiden pointer, half-sister to unreliable but useful hurdler/chaser (stayed 3m) Ohio Gold. Minor promise only in a brace of bumpers, set a stiff task latest.

Form: 70

Lemon Ice¹⁰⁶

Age: 4| Weight: 11-0| J: S Bowen| T: S Curran

11/1

Just one effort of note on the level in Ireland (0-6 in that sphere) and she hasn't cut much ice in 2 starts over hurdles so far.

Form: 34

Nikhi¹⁵

Age: 4| Weight: 11-0| J: James Bowen| T: P & M Bowen| D

5/6

Fairly useful on Flat (stays 17f), best effort when second at Pontefract in August. Subsequently sold from Jedd O'Keeffe for 78,000 gns and shaped very well when third on hurdles debut at Ffos Las a fortnight ago. Lots more to come.

Form: 3

Qoya¹⁵

Age: 4| Weight: 11-0| J: Tom Cannon| T: A King

3/1

Dam half-sister to fairly useful hurdler (stayed 21f) Perry Owens. Fairly useful on Flat for William Haggas (stays 1¾m), winner twice in 2022. Promising hurdles debut at Ffos Las, 7 lengths behind third-placed and re-opposing rival Nikhi.

Form: 4

Vision Of Hope^h,t¹²

Age: 4| Weight: 11-0| J: Paul O'Brien| T: Harry Derham

14/1

Won 2 of her 5 starts on Flat for George Boughey (hooded). That aid was left off and she was too free to show much on hurdles debut at Catterick. No surprise to see the hood back on.

Form: 5

Forecasts

Nikhi (5/6), Qoya (3/1), Circus Act (7/2), Lemon Ice (11/1), Vision Of Hope (14/1), By Pass (125/1), Feryl Beryl (125/1), Bellshill Beauty (150/1)

This looks a fairly straightforward race to assess, with NIKHI and Qoya both shaping well first-time-up over hurdles in the same race at Ffos Las. There's no real reason why the former won't uphold the form. Of the rest, Vision of Hope will surely show more this time with a hood expected to settle her down.