14:45 Ludlow

Wednesday 8 January 2020

All12:4513:1513:4514:1514:4515:1515:45

Jenkinsons Caterers Maiden Hurdle

Off time: 14:45 | Winning time: 5m 15.2s

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Selected odds by:

Aquila Sky⁶²

Age: 5| Weight: 11-6| J: S Bowen| T: H Fry

16/1

Arcadio gelding (cost €45,000 as a 3yo); seventh foal; half-brother to the point/2m7f hurdle winner Ocean Venture; wore a hood (removed) on debut in a strong Newbury bumper (2m+, gd/sft); steps up noticeably in trip for hurdles debut.

Form: 9

Come On Teddy⁷¹

Age: 6| Weight: 11-6| J: J J Burke| T: T R George| OR: 124

5/2

Twice placed over hurdles (2m2½f-2m3f); off the track for 71 days since finishing sixth of 16 (10-1) to Severano at Chepstow (2m3½f, good to soft) in October; one of the likelier candidates in a fairly open race.

Form: 2/03-36

Cronins Hill³⁴

Age: 6| Weight: 11-6| J: Sean Quinlan| T: J Candlish

16/1

Cost £25,000 out of the Irish point-to-point scene (1-8); took a step forward on his second rules/hurdles start at Market Rasen (2m4½f, soft), finishing just over 11L third to the long odds-on favourite Winningseverything.

Form: P-22153

For Luck³²

Age: 5| Weight: 11-6| J: Luca Morgan⁽⁷⁾| T: B Pauling

100/1

Weakened from halfway and ultimately tailed-off on hurdles debut at Chepstow (2m3½f, soft) 32 days ago; needs to fare a whole lot better and simply can't be recommended on that evidence; stablemate of Now Is The Winter.

Form: 5-0

Jamboulet²²

Age: 5| Weight: 11-6| J: G Sheehan| T: C E Longsdon

80/1

Half-brother to the 2m2f hurdle winner Do Na Paisti; 25-1 when finishing well down the field (11th of 14) on debut at Catterick (2m3½f, soft) three weeks ago.

Form: 0

Kalooki⁶¹

Age: 6| Weight: 11-6| J: R Johnson| T: P Hobbs & J White

11/8

Half-brother to five winners, including Kruzhlinin (2m-3m hurdle/chase); made solid if unspectacular progress in bumpers; 11-2 when a fair fourth to Espoir De Romay (beaten 18¾L) on hurdles debut at Warwick (2m3f, good to soft); chance.

Form: 0325-4

Major Dundee²⁷

Age: 5| Weight: 11-6| J: Thomas Bellamy| T: A King

7/1

Southwell bumper winner (1m7½f, good) who also has related form with Aquila Sky (Newbury); was in the process of running a solid race (disputing second) when falling at the last on hurdles debut at Warwick (2m5f, heavy).

Form: 10F

Now Is The Winter³⁰³

Age: 6| Weight: 11-6| J: David Bass| T: B Pauling

10/1

Made a winning start under rules when a game ½L winner of a Stratford bumper (2m+, good) in March; mixed messages as to the overall strength of that form; steps up in trip for hurdles debut; stablemate of For Luck.

Form: 2/1-

Push Ahead¹¹⁹

Age: 11| Weight: 11-6| J: R T Dunne| T: Sarah Hollinshead

100/1

Former pointer (2-14); well beaten on both previous starts over hurdles; rates as most unappealing at the age of 11.

Form: 6374/87

Silent Assistant³⁷⁵

Age: 6| Weight: 11-6| J: Adam Wedge| T: Miss E C Lavelle

8/1

Won a 4yo Tralee maiden (3m, good) for Donnchadh Doyle prior to moving on for £50,000; much improved on his second start for Emma Lavelle when a keeping on 40-1 fourth to Hold The Note at Doncaster (2m3½f, good); off for 375 days since.

Form: 104-

Voyage De Retour⁶³³

Age: 8| Weight: 11-6| J: N de Boinville| T: N J Henderson

20/1

Bought for €25,000 in December 2017 after winning a four-runner 3m maiden at Knockinroe (heavy); prominent until losing his place quickly from three furlongs out in a Plumpton bumper in April 2018; off since (for 633 days); hurdles debut.

Form: 4516/

Winged Isle

Age: 5| Weight: 11-6| J: Dave Crosse| T: D Burchell

100/1

Winged Love gelding; sixth foal; half-brother to three winners, most notably the bumper/2m-2m6f hurdle scorer Runasimi River; stablemate of the unappealing 8yo mare Dawn's Little Lady.

Form:

Dawn's Little Lady⁵⁵¹

Age: 8| Weight: 10-13| J: Alan Johns| T: D Burchell

100/1

From a 2m2f-3m winning hurdler (Kopylova); is returning from a 551-day absence and is very difficult to consider on the basis of all known form; stable second string to the unraced Winged Isle.

Form: 45P/8P-

Jessie Lightfoot²¹

Age: 6| Weight: 10-13| J: Lee Edwards| T: J Groucott

40/1

Yeats mare; wasn't entirely disgraced when a keeping on fourth (beaten 7½L) to the Venetia Williams-trained Eleanor Bob in a mares' maiden at Leicester (2m4½f, heavy); less promising (raced wide) over C&D subsequently.

Form: 67-49

The Awesome Alice⁵⁰⁴

Age: 6| Weight: 10-13| J: Daniel Sansom⁽³⁾| T: Paul George

100/1

Fourth foal; half-sister to the 1m6f/2m winner Wishing Well; looked devoid of any ability on sole Flat start at Kempton (1m4f) in August 2018; off since (for 504 days); needs a minor miracle on hurdles debut.

Form:

Forecasts

Kalooki (11/8), Come On Teddy (5/2), Major Dundee (7/1), Silent Assistant (8/1), Now Is The Winter (10/1), Cronins Hill (16/1), Aquila Sky (16/1), Voyage De Retour (20/1), Jessie Lightfoot (40/1), Jamboulet (80/1), For Luck (100/1), Push Ahead (100/1), The Awesome Alice (100/1), Dawn's Little Lady (100/1), Winged Isle (100/1)

A maiden hurdle in which any number of those declared can be considered as realistic contenders. Major Dundee was in the process of running well on his hurdles debut at Warwick (fell at the final flight) and has related bumper form with the interesting Aquila Sky. Meanwhile, Now Is The Winter lacks the hurdling experience of the Tom George-trained Come On Teddy while both Silent Assistant and Voyage De Retour could prove capable if fully tuned-up from their respective 375 & 633-day absences. However, we'll elect to take a chance on the hurdling technique of KALOOKI under the champion jockey Richard Johnson.