1.00 - Haydock - Shades Of Midnight. 2 pts win. Available at 7/1.
I supported Shades Of Midnight last time out over this C/D in soft ground and there are reasons to believe he can reverse the form with his conqueror that day, Island Heights. He finished well against a pace bias and the likely strong gallop in this race will be in his favour. He is still unexposed over this sort of trip and a five pound pull in the weights will also help his cause. The way he finished off his race suggests that stamina is his forte and the likely deeper ground here should play to those strengths. He is only six years old and this is just his eighth start over hurdles, so there is potential for further improvement. His small yard and their jockey turn up with just the one entry on the card.
2.25 Ascot:
Rock The Casbah. 1.5 pts win. Available at 8/1.
Value At Risk. 1.5 pts win. Available at 9/1.
This is a good handicap over hurdles and there are several open to further improvement. There are some who are tempting at bigger prices to place at least but preference is for splitting stakes between Rock The Casbah and Value At Risk. Rock The Casbah has a progressive profile and ran out a facile winner over 19 furlongs in soft ground at Haydock last time out but the form of that race has taken a few knocks and he is eight pounds higher in the weights here in better company. However he may be good enough with underfoot conditions again in his favour. He can race keenly so the likely generous pace should help him settle and he represents a top yard who are in very good form. He has the assistance of Richard Johnson who has a 19% strike rate over hurdles on this track (although it has returned a negative l.s.p). Value At Risk returns to hurdles after not getting beyond the second fence in two Chases this season. A Chasing campaign has been shelved until next season and he could enjoy the sight of these smaller obstacles. He was a very good Novice hurdler last season and a mark of 143 is certainly justified on the balance of that form. His ability to stay further will hold him in good stead if the trailblazers go off too hard and the only concern is his Trainers comments that some of his horses are not finishing their races as well as they can.
3.15 - Haydock - Algernon Pazham. 1 pt e/w. Available at 12/1.
Reve De Sivola is very well weighted as a Chaser given the form he has shown since he was last seen over the bigger obstacles and these fences are not as stiff as they once were. He will have conditions to suit and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him win this easily. However there are plenty of viable alternatives and this could go to one of the youngest horses in the field. Algernon Pazham doesn't have very compelling claims at first glance, he has fallen on his last two starts, but he brings potential to the table. To be fair to him, those two falls have come in the face of stiff jumping tests. The first came over the National fences in the Becher Chase at Aintree and the last came in the Betfair Chase at Warwick in heavy ground last Saturday, where he was still going well within himself. He went close on his reappearance over three miles at Bangor in soft ground and he is weighted closely with Virak on their running here last April. He gets on well with Sam Twiston-Davies, the pair having been placed five times and winning twice from eight races together. He had form in heavy ground here over hurdles and he is a good traveller when on song.
3.35 - Ascot - Salubrious. 2 pts win. Available at 11/2.
I supported Shades Of Midnight last time out over this C/D in soft ground and there are reasons to believe he can reverse the form with his conqueror that day, Island Heights. He finished well against a pace bias and the likely strong gallop in this race will be in his favour. He is still unexposed over this sort of trip and a five pound pull in the weights will also help his cause. The way he finished off his race suggests that stamina is his forte and the likely deeper ground here should play to those strengths. He is only six years old and this is just his eighth start over hurdles, so there is potential for further improvement. His small yard and their jockey turn up with just the one entry on the card.
2.25 Ascot:
Rock The Casbah. 1.5 pts win. Available at 8/1.
Value At Risk. 1.5 pts win. Available at 9/1.
This is a good handicap over hurdles and there are several open to further improvement. There are some who are tempting at bigger prices to place at least but preference is for splitting stakes between Rock The Casbah and Value At Risk. Rock The Casbah has a progressive profile and ran out a facile winner over 19 furlongs in soft ground at Haydock last time out but the form of that race has taken a few knocks and he is eight pounds higher in the weights here in better company. However he may be good enough with underfoot conditions again in his favour. He can race keenly so the likely generous pace should help him settle and he represents a top yard who are in very good form. He has the assistance of Richard Johnson who has a 19% strike rate over hurdles on this track (although it has returned a negative l.s.p). Value At Risk returns to hurdles after not getting beyond the second fence in two Chases this season. A Chasing campaign has been shelved until next season and he could enjoy the sight of these smaller obstacles. He was a very good Novice hurdler last season and a mark of 143 is certainly justified on the balance of that form. His ability to stay further will hold him in good stead if the trailblazers go off too hard and the only concern is his Trainers comments that some of his horses are not finishing their races as well as they can.
3.15 - Haydock - Algernon Pazham. 1 pt e/w. Available at 12/1.
Reve De Sivola is very well weighted as a Chaser given the form he has shown since he was last seen over the bigger obstacles and these fences are not as stiff as they once were. He will have conditions to suit and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him win this easily. However there are plenty of viable alternatives and this could go to one of the youngest horses in the field. Algernon Pazham doesn't have very compelling claims at first glance, he has fallen on his last two starts, but he brings potential to the table. To be fair to him, those two falls have come in the face of stiff jumping tests. The first came over the National fences in the Becher Chase at Aintree and the last came in the Betfair Chase at Warwick in heavy ground last Saturday, where he was still going well within himself. He went close on his reappearance over three miles at Bangor in soft ground and he is weighted closely with Virak on their running here last April. He gets on well with Sam Twiston-Davies, the pair having been placed five times and winning twice from eight races together. He had form in heavy ground here over hurdles and he is a good traveller when on song.
3.35 - Ascot - Salubrious. 2 pts win. Available at 11/2.
