15:45 Taunton

Thursday 28 November 2024

All12:1512:5013:2514:0014:3515:1015:45

Festive Fixture 12th December Open NH Flat Race (GBB Race)

Off time: 15:45 | Winning time: 4m 15.2s

Ben Lomond

Age: 4| Weight: 11-2| J: Robbie David⁽⁷⁾| T: Daisy Hitchins

25/1

Gleneagles gelding. Closely related to a winner and half-brother to 5 winners on Flat, including smart/ungenuine 7f winner (first past post in 1000 Guineas) Jacqueline Quest. Dam 1½m-17f winner. Worth a precautionary betting check.

Form:

Build Your Dream

Age: 4| Weight: 11-2| J: H Cobden| T: P F Nicholls

7/2

€90,000 No Risk At All gelding. Dam, maiden over hurdles/fences in France, half-sister to French hurdler (2m-2¼m winner) Valkevi. Highly respected on debut for Paul Nicholls.

Form:

Calimystic

Age: 5| Weight: 11-2| J: James Bowen| T: N J Henderson

5/2

Califet half-brother to 4 winners, including useful hurdler/smart chaser Angels Breath and fairly useful hurdler Outofthisworld. Makes obvious paper appeal for a leading stable with a very strong bumper record.

Form:

Doctor Blue

Age: 4| Weight: 11-2| J: Dylan Johnston⁽³⁾| T: S Thomas

5/4

Doctor Dino gelding. Half-brother to numerous winners, including smart French hurdler/chaser The Stomp and fairly useful French hurdler/chaser Vlatan. Another very interesting newcomer in this line-up.

Form:

Escapologist⁴³

Age: 5| Weight: 11-2| J: Charlie Hammond| T: Joe Ponting

8/1

Left May's Fontwell debut well behind when 5 lengths fourth of 12 at Worcester (2m, heavy, 125/1) 43 days ago.

Form: 74

Stinginhisstep²²

Age: 5| Weight: 11-2| J: Lucy Gardner| T: Mrs S Gardner

150/1

150/1, eighth of 10 in bumper at Chepstow (2m, good to soft) on debut 22 days ago, weakening after racing keenly.

Form: 8

Border Gem

Age: 4| Weight: 10-9| J: David Noonan| T: J Scott

22/1

Gemix filly. Dam (h94), winning pointer/maiden under Rules who stayed 3m, half-sister to bumper winner/useful hurdler (2m-2½m winner) As I Am.

Form:

Feeling Frisky

Age: 4| Weight: 10-9| J: Roisin Leech⁽⁷⁾| T: Kieran Burke

40/1

Battle of Marengo filly. Half-sister to a point winner. Dam (c105/h107) 17f-3m hurdle winner. The stable is 2-38 in bumpers in the last 5 seasons.

Form:

Non-Runners

Service Minimum⁴¹

Weight: 10-9| Age: 4

T: D Skelton J: Harry Atkins

Forecasts

Doctor Blue (5/4), Calimystic (5/2), Service Minimum (5/2), Build Your Dream (7/2), Escapologist (8/1), Border Gem (22/1), Ben Lomond (25/1), Feeling Frisky (40/1), Stinginhisstep (150/1)

Dan Skelton's SERVICE MINIMUM gets the vote after her promising debut effort but Calimystic, Doctor Blue and Build Your Dream are newcomers from yards with good bumper records and would represent possible big dangers should the betting speak in their favour.