17:05 Hexham

Saturday 17 June 2017

All14:1514:4515:2015:5516:3017:0517:4018:15

St Martins Care Handicap Chase (Div 1)

Off time: 17:05 | Winning time: 5m 11.5s

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Selected odds by:

Dica¹⁴

Age: 11| Weight: 12-0| J: Ross Chapman⁽⁷⁾| T: Paul Collins| OR: 102| CD

11/2

Former hunter chaser who sprung a surprise when winning over C&D earlier this month beating Miss Conway by 4½L. Up 7lb, but likes to race prominently, and that tactic is often rewarded at this track in the summer months.

Form: 21P/4-71

Leading Score^p²⁵

Age: 7| Weight: 11-12| J: Steven Fox⁽⁵⁾| T: J Ewart| OR: 100

7/1

15 race maiden, but a runner up on his last two outings over fences including over C&D last month when no match for the ultra progressive No Such Number. That form line will be tested by Reverse The Charge earlier, and this gelding remains on the same mark (100).

Form: 23682-2

Blue Cannon¹⁸

Age: 9| Weight: 11-12| J: Miss S M Doolan⁽⁷⁾| T: Mrs V Jackson| OR: 100| D

80/1

Ex Irish (Noel Meade and Stuart Crawford), but pulled up on both starts for this trainer in June 2016. Back from a year off so impossible to know what to expect and the assumption is that he'll need this race.

Form: P4-5343

Ballygrooby Bertie^t²⁵

Age: 9| Weight: 11-8| J: B S Hughes| T: R A Curran| OR: 96| D

7/1

His sole career success came in a 2m3f Towcester handicap hurdle for Fergal O'Brien in May 2014, and he's fallen sharply in the weights since those days. Ran well enough when runner up to Proud Gamble at Musselburgh in December (3m), and headed at the last here latest, so feasible this drop in trip is a major plus.

Form: 7/P520-4

Pekanheim¹⁷

Age: 9| Weight: 11-4| J: A Nicol| T: M Todhunter| OR: 92| BF| CD

5/1

Produced a couple of decent efforts at this venue during the spring, and unfortunate to bump into No Such Number over C&D in early May. Perhaps not ideally suited by Cartmel when third to Endeavour, but not at all certain if he was putting it all in on that occasion, and frustratingly that's a trait he'd appeared to have eradicated prior to that start. 2m4f at Hexham ideal.

Form: 4162-23

Da Baba Elephant^t¹⁴

Age: 8| Weight: 10-12| J: R Johnson| T: R McNally| OR: 86

15/8

Heavily backed when bombing out here in May (well behind Leading Score), but better when keeping on to take a remote second to No Such Number over C&D earlier this month. Nine race maiden and looks exposed, but an eye-catching jockey booking.

Form: 0P09-02

Have You Had Yours¹⁴

Age: 11| Weight: 10-7| J: Harry Reed⁽⁷⁾| T: Mrs J Walton| OR: 81| C

16/1

All his winning has been done over shorter than this and he's not managed to either win or place in a race since 2015. That said; not too much ground to make up with Pekanheim on their April clash, but seemingly well held when crashing out three out in the race won by Dica over C&D earlier this month.

Form: 75744-U

Crinkle Crags³¹

Age: 7| Weight: 10-0| J: Craig Nichol| T: N G Richards| OR: 71| D

7/1

Sole success came over 2m3f over hurdles at Sedgefield (good) in March 2015. Unexposed over fences (three starts), but not shown a great deal of aptitude so far and work to do with Pekanheim and Have You Had Yours on previous course form, albeit this trip should suit better.

Form: P86P6-5

Top Cat Dj¹⁹

Age: 9| Weight: 10-0| J: Callum Bewley⁽³⁾| T: C Grant| OR: 65

33/1

25 race maiden (0 from 20 over fences under rules), and with recent form figures of P,P,P, it would need a miracle to see him involved despite a career low mark of 65.

Form: P63P-PP

Forecasts

Da Baba Elephant (15/8), Pekanheim (5/1), Dica (11/2), Leading Score (7/1), Ballygrooby Bertie (7/1), Crinkle Crags (7/1), Have You Had Yours (16/1), Top Cat Dj (33/1), Blue Cannon (80/1)

Ballygrooby Bertie should be suited by this drop in trip, and was bang in contention until the last when fourth to Captain Sharpe over 3m last month. However the form of DICA looks stronger, and he stepped forward from a reasonable reappearance when dispatching Miss Conway with aplomb a fortnight ago. Front running tactics often reap dividends at this track during the summer months, and this veteran might just have more resolution than the head-scratchingly difficult to assess Pekanheim.