14:40 Kelso
Monday 8 April 2019
All14:1014:4015:1015:4016:1016:4017:10
Duncan & Margaret Sinclair Memorial Handicap Hurdle
- 4YO plus | Class 4 | 2m 6f 151y | Good to Soft (Soft in places in the back straight) | 8 Runners | Turf | Weighed In
- Off time: 14:42 | Winning time: 5m 50.2s
Cloth number
Odds
Horse A-Z
Show odds
Prominent-racer who is plenty high enough in the weights nowadays, and mightn't find these ground conditions entirely to her liking (relishes cut); 7L runner-up to Talkofgold on her penultimate start at Ayr (2m5f, soft).
Hexham PTP winner (3m, soft) in December 2018; has made a relatively smooth transition to rules racing; made most until the third last flight, but ultimately no match for Jammy George at Newcastle (2m6f) latest; handicap debut.
Course specialist; 4lb higher than when recording a sixth success at this track on his penultimate start (3m2f, good); poor elsewhere more latterly; thrice placed in this race between 2015-2017 (2,3,3); stablemate of Always Tipsy and Benny's Secret.
Game neck winner of this race in 2018 (beat the 9/4f Geronimo); didn't show much promise on a couple of subsequent starts (December); off since; just 2lb above his last winning mark; trainer saddled a double at Newcastle on Saturday.
His career has been punctuated by various absences from the track which would imply that he has been difficult to train; finished a poor second over fences at Sedgefield (3m2f) in August 2018 when last in competitive action; unappealing.
Bounced back quickly from his Newcastle flop (well backed) when beating Ballynatty by ½L at this track (2m5f, good) just seven-days later; the introduction of cheekpieces has clearly aided; holds a realistic chance off a 5lb higher mark.
Saw off the tenderly handled Beau Sancy by 1L in the 2m5½f handicap chase on this card in 2018; unable to build upon that success since, including when reverting to hurdles latest; least fancied stablemate of Landecker and Benny's Secret.
Like his stablemate Landecker, he tends to come alive at Kelso (back-to-back winner over 2m5f (good) in late 2017); 3lb higher than when an admirable ½L second to Ask Paddington on his return to the smaller obstacles here 16-days ago.
Forecasts
Benny's Secret (3/1), Uptown Harry (10/3), Sunny Destination (9/2), Chicoria (9/2), Landecker (9/1), Always Tipsy (10/1), Rivabodiva (14/1), Oscar Blue (66/1)
Nick Alexander saddles three runners, the pick of whom is evidently the 9yo BENNY'S SECRET. He stayed on from an unpromising position to finish a closing half-length second to Ask Paddington at this track (2m5f) just over a fortnight ago, appearing well suited by making a return to the smaller obstacles. In a relatively open race, one must also consider both Sunny Destination, and the 2018 race winner Chicoria who represents the Cumbrian trainer Tristan Davidson, a man in the thick of the action winners wise at Newcastle on Saturday.
- Benny's Secret
- Chicoria
- Sunny Destination
Previous Winners
Prize Money
1st: £4,289.002nd: £1,259.003rd: £630.004th: £350.005th: £350.006th: £350.007th: £350.008th: £350.00
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