15:30 Musselburgh

Monday 1 January 2024

All12:3513:1013:4514:2014:5515:30

tote.co.uk Dry January Starts Now Handicap Hurdle

Off time: 15:30 | Winning time: 6m 16.84s

Call Me Harry²³

Age: 7| Weight: 12-0| J: Danny McMenamin| T: I Jardine| OR: 109| CD

7/2

C&D winner in November who had yet to be asked for effort when swerved and unseated 2 out.in handicap hurdle at Aintree (24.7f, heavy) 23 days ago. Enters calculations off the same mark.

Form: P-4421U

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Republican^p²⁵¹

Age: 9| Weight: 11-13| J: Paul O'Brien| T: Harry Derham| OR: 108

5/4

Ended a long losing run at Hereford in February and signed off with a solid fourth at Ffos Las (2m4f) on his final run for Oliver Sherwood in April. Interesting on his return with yard among the winners.

Form: 744144-

Telhimlisten²¹

Age: 8| Weight: 11-12| J: Sam Coltherd| T: W Coltherd| OR: 107

14/1

Scored 4 times over hurdles and also an easy winner of 3-runner race on first completed chase start at Plumpton in April for Jennie Candlish. Yet to hit top form in three runs for his new yard though, never-dangerous fifth of 7 in handicap chase at Ayr (24.1f, soft) 21 days ago. More needed.

Form: 1U1-4P5

Aurora Thunder²¹

Age: 10| Weight: 11-9| J: P W Wadge⁽³⁾| T: Miss Lucinda V Russell| OR: 104| C

13/2

Course winner who posted a respectable third of 11 in handicap hurdle at Ayr (20.4f, soft) 21 days ago. It's now 12 runs since her last win in 2022, though.

Form: 043-533

Reserve Judgement^b⁵²

Age: 8| Weight: 11-7| J: Alex Harvey⁽⁷⁾| T: J C McConnell| OR: 102| D

14/1

Winner at Down Royal in June and in the process of running well when unseated rider 3 out in handicap hurdle there (24.1f, soft) 52 days ago. This irish challenger is one to consider.

Form: 06-164F

Kiss My Face^v²⁰

Age: 7| Weight: 11-2| J: Henry Brooke| T: B Ellison| OR: 97

11/1

Winning hurdler at Catterick when last seen in this sphere in February and arrives in good nick from a spell on the AW Flat. Needs considering.

Form: 4/51261-

Theirshegoes³²

Age: 7| Weight: 10-9| J: Lewis Dobb⁽⁷⁾| T: A M Thomson| OR: 90

15/2

Still to get her head in front but she comes here in decent nick, fifth of 11 to Sanosuke in handicap hurdle over C&D (soft) 32 days ago. Solid claims once more.

Form: 543-455

Non-Runners

Sanosuke¹⁴

Weight: 11-4| Age: 6

T: N W Alexander J: Sean Quinlan

Forecasts

Republican (5/4), Call Me Harry (7/2), Aurora Thunder (13/2), Theirshegoes (15/2), Sanosuke (10/1), Kiss My Face (11/1), Telhimlisten (14/1), Reserve Judgement (14/1)

A case can be made for virtually all of these but REPUBLICAN hails from a yard among the winners so is taken to go in at the first time of asking for his new handler and edge out in-form top-weight Call Me Harry. Theirshegoes and Aurora Thunder are both weighted to have a say too in a competitive handicap.