Dave Criddle Travel Handicap Hurdle

Off time: 15:51 | Winning time: 4m 43.3s

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Selected odds by:

Capitaine^t²⁰

Age: 7| Weight: 11-12| J: Lorcan Williams⁽⁵⁾| T: P F Nicholls| OR: 135| C

11/10

Won over an extended 2m here en route to the Country Hurdle at Cheltenham last month; up in trip but only 5lb higher than his course win. Sound chance of being thereabouts if stamina holds out. (Yard won the last two renewals of this race.)

Form: F5-0410

Cotswold Way⁸²

Age: 6| Weight: 11-8| J: James Best| T: P Hobbs & J White| OR: 131

5/1

Made good progress to win a maiden, a novice hurdle, and a handicap before being held in a Listed race last time; this ease in grade will suit. Can race keenly but will be interesting to see what tactics are employed today. The betting can help.

Form: 72-1118

Space Oddity^h³³

Age: 8| Weight: 11-3| J: Kieron Edgar| T: H Fry| OR: 126| CD

7/1

Brushed aside by Capitaine when they met here in February and work to do if he's going to reverse the form. The step up in trip can help but the gelding needs a lot to go his way.

Form: 4-4FU94

At Its Own Expense³⁵

Age: 5| Weight: 11-2| J: Sean Houlihan⁽³⁾| T: P Hobbs & J White| OR: 125| CD

11/4

Won a novice hurdle over C&D in February and going the right way. Jockey bookings suggest he's the stable's second choice behind Cotswold Bay; but he's still worth a betting check as the gelding is useful in his own right.

Form: 5-3331

Sporting Boy^t¹⁶⁰

Age: 11| Weight: 10-12| J: R T Dunne| T: J Farrelly| OR: 121| CD

28/1

Has won seven times over hurdles but losing run stretches back to October 2017; still shows flashes of ability but doesn't look particularly well handicapped as he goes in search of win number eight.

Form: 902945

Criq Sun^h1³³

Age: 7| Weight: 10-4| J: Alan Johns| T: Tim Vaughan| OR: 113| D

20/1

Won a modest handicap in Ireland before being well held in a Class 4 on his British racing debut at Doncaster earlier this month; this looks a lot tougher. Needs to improve dramatically for the fitting of a hood for the first time.

Form: 983716

Non-Runners

Sussex Ranger²⁷

Weight: 11-11| Age: 5

T: G & J Moore J: J E Moore

Forecasts

Capitaine (11/10), At Its Own Expense (11/4), Cotswold Way (5/1), Space Oddity (7/1), Sussex Ranger (14/1), Criq Sun (20/1), Sporting Boy (28/1)

Paul Nicholls has won the last two renewals of this race and his Capitaine is highly respected as the stable's chosen contender to chase the hat-trick of wins. Nicholls' charge does have his share of weight and needs to prove his stamina but will find this a lot easier than the County Hurdle at Cheltenham last month. However, SUSSEX RANGER edges the verdict as he doesn't have too much to find and his latest effort (in a better race than this at Sandown) reads well on face value. Cotswold Way is another progressive type that cannot confidently be ruled out. He edges stablemate At It's Own Expense out the frame as the best of the rest.