The market for the novice hurdle at Perth today (14.50) doesn't look right.
Favourite is Sounds Of Thunder at a best price of 6/4, but she is a four-year-old filly being asked to give at least 4lbs to geldings which are older than her, which looks a tough ask. She has a UK official rating of 126, but that looks at least 10lbs too high, because it doesn't tie in well with her flat rating of only 64 or with the overall merit of her form.
The difficulty is identifying which horse(s) will beat her, so some might prefer to lay.
Second favourite is Dumitas at 2/1. He has a hurdles rating of 104, which is very low considering he is a dual bumper winner. That is probably beside the point, however, because he was sold soon after the second of those wins in Oct 2009 and has not been the same horse since. He has not been within 10l of the winner in any of his eight runs over hurdles.
Mr Tallyman (3/1) is rated 8lbs higher than Dumitas, at 112. He seems to have reached a plateau in terms of form. It gives him a chance against the other pair, but might there be an improver in the field?
Kalanisi Kid won his first race last time out after a change of tactics. He looked beaten a few furlongs out against Sounds Of Thunder's stablemate Priors Gold, who was long odds on, but persisted and finally worried that horse out of it. Perhaps it was more a case of Priors Gold throwing the race away, but might Kalanisi Kid come on for the experience? At current odds of 26 for a win and 8.6 for a place on Betfair (two places only) I'm prepared to have a few quid on in case he does. He comes from a very small stable, so the lack of money for him doesn't put me off.