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| Horse | Comments
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| Aigle D’Or | Ran a blinder at Cheltenham on his reappearance before flopping at Ascot. I understand there was a valid reason for that run. 8lb better off with Numide for a head defeat at Cheltenham, this lightly raced individual has a good chance on his best form. Nicky Henderson informed me he was a possible at this stage, as he feels he needs a little further. However, he remains convinced he is a high-class horse; we should not forget he has won over two miles five furlongs at Cheltenham, the distance of the Coral Cup.
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| Alsadaa | Appears happiest going right-handed on good or good to firm ground.
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| American Trilogy | Started his hurdles career with an excellent effort on awful ground at Aintree. Disappointing runs at Ascot and Cheltenham have halted his expected progress. He looks like a horse that will need a flat track and perhaps a slight drop in the weights. Long-term he has the scope to make a decent Novice Chaser.
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| Ashkazar | Goes well on soft and heavy ground and looks reasonably handicapped on his run at Cheltenham behind Crack Away Jack. Prior to that, he landed a good handicap at Sandown Park. Returning to action, he ran respectably for a long way at Ascot before fading in the home straight. One can forgive that run as “Team Pipe” were struggling at the time. Up with the market leaders in the ante-post market, further support would be more than interesting.
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| Belcantista | Ran away with a Novice Hurdle at Exeter, before finding Sentry Duty too strong at Ascot. I am not sure if the 3lb pull will be enough to reverse the placings; however, the likely fast pace on a galloping track will suit him, as he may need two and a quarter miles to show his very best form.
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| Dancing Tornado | Ran well in the Pierse Hurdle; a tough competitor who will be thereabouts if turning up for the fun, despite being 14lb higher than at Leopardstown.
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| Dee Ee Williams | Looked highly premising until fading away disappointingly at Haydock Park. Several decent performers have bounced back from a poor run at that course this season. The way he has travelled in his races suggests this could be an ideal target. His trainer will not send him for the race unless he is completely happy with him; would be supporters should hang fire until nearer the time.
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| European Dream | In and out performer, but useful at his best. Last season, he finished second to Mon Michel at Newbury and Five Dreams at Sandown Park in competitive Handicap Hurdles. Has shown glimpses of that form this season including a win at Wetherby. Handles good to soft and soft ground and made reasonable late headway behind Songe last time out.
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| Five Dream | Five Dream was sent off a 7/2 favourite for this race last season. On that occasion, he came to Newbury on the back of two Handicap Hurdle wins in January, shouldering a 5lb penalty. Looking back as far as the 2000 renewal no four-year-old had reached the frame in this race. This season he has run respectably behind Crack Away Jack at Chepstow, Sunnyhillboy at Sandown Park and presenting Copper at Cheltenham. He was brought down behind Sentry Duty at Ascot and followed that with a confidence-boosting run behind Lough Derg. He loves soft ground, big fields and has a race such as this in him. Connections are eyeing the County Hurdle or Coral Cup at Cheltenham; the latter may prove interesting, if he finds himself outspeeded here.
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| Folk Tune | Hold up performer who does not always find what he promises too. Appears happiest round a relatively sharp track, on good ground.
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| Group Captain | Running well but does appear to need further than two-miles. His profile suggests he is at his happiest going right-handed. Nevertheless, he ran well at the Cheltenham Festival last year; perhaps a race like the Coral Cup is at the back of connections minds.
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| Harper Valley | Looked a decent horse in the making when turning over Franchoek at Cheltenham in December 2007. Disappointing since and is now with Lucy Wadham. The handicapper has not made his life easy; any easing in his mark, coinciding with a return to form, would make him interesting. Best on good ground and has won on the Polytrack at Dundalk.
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| Helens Vision | Started the season with her second course win battling on gamely to touch of the talented, if unpredictable, Khyber Kim. Failed to stay two and a half miles at Haydock Park and will be happier back at two-miles. Goes well fresh and will arrive at the races on the back of a seven-week break. Her trainer feels she has an each-way chance at a course she loves.
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| Hernando Royal | Consistent at a decent level but will need quite a few to come out to get a run. May need further to show his very best form.
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| Hibiki | Consistent but may just lack the resolution in a finish for a race like this. Interestingly he has run all his races over hurdles on right-handed tracks. In addition, he looks happiest on a relatively sharp track. The wide-open spaces of Newbury may test his resolve to the limit.
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| Issaquah | Improving mare that hacked up in two Handicap Hurdles, before running respectably behind Songe recently. At the revised weights, she can be given a chance of reversing the form. She was not knocked about when defeat stared her in the face at Haydock Park. Travels well on a big galloping track and possesses a decent turn of foot.
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| Khyber Kim | Unlucky to be beaten when second to Helens Vision at Newbury. Quietly brought into the race, he found the weight telling as they approached the final flight and a mistake sealed his fate. A horse that goes best fresh, he was returned to the track three weeks later in Sentry Duty’s race at Ascot and predictably ran a flat race. Sent to Ludlow twenty-six days after his Ascot run for a Novice Chase, once again he disappointed. Khyber Kim is a horse that has shown on the flat and over hurdles, he needs his races spaced out; his new trainer has placed him poorly.
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| King's Revenge | Consistent handicapper that may need to drop a couple pounds to get his head in front. Disappointed in this race last season but has run two solid races over course and distance. Place chances if arriving at the top of his game; last two runs have been disappointing.
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| Mamlook | No show in the Greatwood Hurdle before an eye-catching run behind Sentry Duty at Ascot. Held up well off the pace, he made ground from the fourth last to reach a challenging position approaching the second last flight. He flattened out from that point on and finished sixth, beaten just over ten lengths. He will meet the winner on 10lb better terms; in addition, it should not be forgotten “Team Pipe” was under a cloud at the time. Despite an easy win on soft ground last season, he would not want the ground any worse than good to soft. Having run well in the Cesarewitch, Newbury’s galloping track should suit him well.
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| Medermit | Weighted to run a dead-heat with Dee Ee Williams on their running at Ascot. Alan King hinted he would not go down the handicap route so would be punters should hold fire.
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| Numide | Numide has showed himself a genuine Group Two performer on the flat in France. Since going over hurdles, he has won two races and was unlucky not to shake up Sentry Duty at Ascot. Coming to the last hurdle Sentry Duty had just come off the bridle and there was little to choose between the pair. However, Numide dived at the hurdles and lost as much ground as he was beaten by. He apparently dislikes being crowded, hence the way he is held-up before coming off the pace. Newbury is a wide, galloping track and he should be able to make his customary late surge as the runners fan out in the straight. Numide looks as though he has more to offer and any ground, bar very testing, will suit him. He looks sure to be in the thick of things at the business end and has the look of a horse that has been laid out for race.
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| Presenting Copper | Relatively unexposed as a hurdler, she was switched back to the smaller obstacles at Cheltenham. Looks to have a good chance of making the frame despite a penalty. She showed battling qualities to hold off Awesome George after being headed on the run to the final hurdle. The third horse was a further ten lengths behind. Awesome George had won a competitive handicap hurdle on his previous run so the form looks solid. Stays further than two-miles, which will stand her in good stead; appears at her best on soft ground.
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| Psycho | Two frustrating seconds in the County Hurdle last March and the Pierse Hurdle in January have shown Psycho to be a capable if unlucky performer. Before the Pierse Hurdle, I reviewed the County Hurdle. Whilst admitting Paul Carberry over did the waiting tactics, Psycho appear unable to quicken as much as one would have thought. It came as no surprise when he looked, to my eyes, to do the same thing at Leopardstown. He had every chance on the run-in but was just unable to quicken past the long time leader. Whilst one could argue the weight rise cost him the race, it was disappointing to see a decent turn of foot missing. In addition, he will race off a mark of 143, 12lb higher than his County Hurdle run. I wonder if a longer trip may be the answer. Psycho is out of Dr Massini; his three top-rated offspring over hurdles all stay two and a half miles. Psycho himself was unlucky not to win two Irish Point-to-Points over three-miles. The Coral Cup may be a suitable target if he gets done for a turn of foot.
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| Rippling Ring | Latest reports indicate he will be used as a pacemaker for Celestial Halo in the Champion Hurdle. Considered well handicapped by connections coming into this season, the application of blinkers following a wind operation, hardly inspire confidence for a race such as this. Nevertheless, if the ground is not too testing, he should not be written off; he is a talented horse on a flat track.
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| Sentry Duty | Two wins in competitive handicaps have seen him rise 20lb in the handicap. His profile suggests he is best on a right-handed track on good or good to soft ground. A light framed horse that goes best when fresh, eight of his nine wins have come after a five-week break or longer; he will arrive here exactly seven weeks after his last race. On good or good to soft ground, Nicky feels he has a serious chance; I felt the trainer thought he had improved again. A line through Celestial Halo backs up Nicky’s thoughts. That fellow is now on 167 while Sentry Duty resides on 154. When they met at Doncaster last season Sentry Duty won by seven lengths. Allowing for WFA, they can be viewed as just about the same horse as neither has stood still since. Celestial Halo’s adjusted FSF off the same weight as Sentry Duty, would be 153, suggesting it is he, who has progressed the most.
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| Silver Jaro | Since being trained in Ireland, Silver Jaro has run five times in fields of eighteen runners or more. He has won, finished second, third, and run unplaced twice. Although not the most consistent of animals, he may have needed his latest run in the Pierse Hurdle; Silver Jaro can be given a shout of a place if he arrives at his best.
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| Songe | Returned to form at Haydock Park; however, form in Conditions races can often be misleading when it comes to Handicaps. Nevertheless, his previous effort at Ascot suggests, even with a 5lb penalty, he has a decent chance of reversing the form with Sentry Duty.
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| Straw Bear | Straw Bear’s adjusted master rating is based on his run at Kempton Park on Boxing Day 2007. The lower figure is the estimated rating I feel he is capable of producing on current form. Soft ground will suit this fellow; however, it takes a leap of faith to suggest he can bounce back in a race such as this.
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| Sunnyhillboy | Winner of three handicaps this season, Sunnyhillboy has gone up 26lb since the first of those. Gives the impression a fast run race will suit him. Has more improvement to come and will stay further in time.
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| Whiteoak | Finished last season with a memorable win at Cheltenham, and a fine second to Elusive Dream at Aintree. Her form improved when upped in trip, but she won and showed respectable form over two-miles prior to those two runs. Unraced so far this season, she looks capable of further improvement, though that will almost certainly come over two and a half miles and upwards.
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| Wingman | Won the race last season off mark of 124 and will run here off 132. Won by two-lengths from Punjabi who has subsequently been raised 13lb. One could interpretate that as Wingman still looking well-handicapped off an 8lb higher mark. Attracted support on the day of the race last February. His two runs this season have shown he retains his ability and he appears to be approaching his best form at the right time.
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| Working Title | Returned to his best with a highly respectable run at Ascot recently. That was a decent effort in a hot handicap; however, it looks as though two and a half miles is his best distance these days. Nicky Henderson suggested he is a possible rather then definite runner.
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