16:05 Hamilton

Wednesday 19 June 2019

All13:5014:2014:5515:3016:0516:4517:2017:55

Bothwell Castle Handicap

Off time: 16:05 | Winning time: 1m 46.24s

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(5)

Morticia²⁷⁷

Age: 4| Weight: 9-11| J: S P Davis⁽³⁾| T: K Dalgleish| OR: 77| CD

25/1

5lb higher than when winning readily in a Class 5 fillies' handicap over C&D (good to firm) last July; well below her best in both subsequent starts; tricky to assess on her return from a 277 day absence; stablemate of Jacob Black.

Form: 424188-

(1)

Jacob Black^v³⁰

Age: 8| Weight: 9-9| J: S A Gray| T: K Dalgleish| OR: 75| CD

10/1

Nine-time winner who certainly knows his way around the Scottish circuit; 3lb higher than when winning at Musselburgh (7f, good to firm) on his penultimate start; is considered on the basis of his useful C&D record (1241); stablemate of Morticia.

Form: 05-3613

(4)

Wild Hope²⁰

Age: 3| Weight: 9-5| J: K Stott| T: K A Ryan| OR: 81| BF

7/2

Suffered a setback on soft ground three weeks ago, but had appeared to be an improving 3yo prior to that when hammering Barsanti Dancer by 5L at Carlisle (7f, good to firm); 9lb higher and must definitively prove himself over 1m.

Form: 439-319

(3)

Indian Sounds²⁷

Age: 3| Weight: 9-5| J: Andrew Breslin⁽⁵⁾| T: C & M Johnston| OR: 81

14/1

Enjoyed a productive juvenile season with wins at Newbury (6f) and Kempton (7f) being the obvious highlights; disappointing so far this season (0-2) and easing in the weights; has he trained on?

Form: 9188-98

(8)

Four Kingdoms²⁶

Age: 5| Weight: 9-3| J: Ben Sanderson⁽⁵⁾| T: R M Smith| OR: 69| BF

12/1

3lb higher than when finishing ½L second to Never Be Enough over C&D (good to firm) in May; that's probably harsh when you consider that he's struggled to win since last July; ideally could well need a slightly longer trip.

Form: 39-5626

(6)

Harvey Dent⁸

Age: 3| Weight: 9-2| J: P Hanagan| T: A Watson| OR: 78

5/2

Prominent racer who has been competitive of late in slightly stronger Class 3/4 handicaps, so merits serious consideration with Paul Hanagan booked to ride; due a 1lb rise after finishing 1L second to Amadeus Grey at Carlisle (1m) last week.

Form: 129442

(2)

Southern Rock⁴⁵

Age: 3| Weight: 9-2| J: D Nolan| T: D O'Meara| OR: 78| CD

2/1

Former French racer (Andre Fabre); turned over the 1/12f Al Hadeer on UK/stable debut in a C&D maiden (good to firm) last month; his opening mark of 78 is no 'gimme', but he's lightly-raced and open to further improvement.

Form: 35-1

Non-Runners

(7)

Zodiakos⁷

Weight: 9-5| Age: 6

T: R Fell & S Murray J: Cam Hardie

Forecasts

Southern Rock (2/1), Harvey Dent (5/2), Wild Hope (7/2), Zodiakos (4/1), Jacob Black (10/1), Four Kingdoms (12/1), Indian Sounds (14/1), Morticia (25/1)

The winner looks likely to come from one of Zodiakos, Southern Rock or HARVEY DENT with all three horses having positive elements to their recent form. The Roger Fell-trained runner escapes a penalty for last week's gritty Haydock win, while the David O'Meara inmate is a C&D maiden winner who is lightly-raced and open to further improvement. However, we'll plump for the prominent racer Harvey Dent in what is arguably a slightly weaker race than he's been contesting of late. Due a 1lb rise in the weights for another good run at Carlisle last week (second) he has the former champion Paul Hanagan back in the saddle.