MansionBet Faller Insurance Mares' Handicap Hurdle

Off time: 12:48 | Winning time: 4m 15.2s

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Selected odds by:

Valse Au Taillons³³

Age: 7| Weight: 12-2| J: Luca Morgan⁽⁷⁾| T: J Farrelly| OR: 121| D

11/4

Dual mares' novice hurdle winner (2m/2m2½f) last year on good/good to soft. Showed she handles heavy when 3L third at Chepstow in January from today's mark. Should again be competitive.

Form: 36-1173

Daphne Du Clos^t⁴⁴

Age: 7| Weight: 11-12| J: C Brace⁽³⁾| T: N J Henderson| OR: 117| BF| DWS

1/1

Listed bumper winner. Off for a long time after that but showed she retained some ability in just one run last season. Respectable reappearance at Sandown. Brought down early latest. Wind op since then. Needs improvement on handicap debut.

Form: 121/5-4B

So Lonely^h,t¹⁷³

Age: 6| Weight: 11-10| J: William Marshall⁽⁷⁾| T: D Skelton| OR: 115| D

14/1

Triple hurdles winner over 2m, all on good ground. Ran well in bumpers on soft earlier in her career, but untried on heavy. Lost her way last summer, but if able to reproduce her best from this mark after a break, she couldn't be ruled out.

Form: 11-3106

Llantara^t⁴²

Age: 9| Weight: 11-3| J: Benjamin Poste| T: T Symonds| OR: 108| DWS

10/1

All her three wins have been on heavy ground, so these conditions should be ideal, but she will need to be much better for having had a wind operation than she has been in her two runs prior to Christmas.

Form: 1/331-40

Deputy Jones^t¹⁵

Age: 7| Weight: 10-13| J: R T Dunne| T: N P Mulholland| OR: 104

11/1

Irish point winner who is 0-7 under rules. Acts on heavy. Out of sorts last couple of starts, but has slipped to a dangerous mark. Could go well.

Form: 3353F0

Born To Please^p³³

Age: 6| Weight: 10-12| J: James Davies| T: M D I Usher| OR: 103| CD

10/1

C&D scorer on heavy ground in November, when 8lb lower. Never really going when upped to this mark at Chepstow last time. Whether that we down to ability or something else, we probably won't know until after this race, but she has a bit to prove.

Form: 0279-16

Riviere Argentee^t,v⁶³

Age: 6| Weight: 10-7| J: W T Kennedy| T: M F Harris| OR: 98| C

20/1

Dual hurdles winner, including here over 2m4f in her previous spell with this trainer. Lost her way on the Flat since then, but has previously been competitive from this mark, so certainly not written off.

Form: 33-4112

Flight To Nowhere^t²⁸⁸

Age: 8| Weight: 10-2| J: Page Fuller⁽³⁾| T: R J Price| OR: 93| D

20/1

1-16 over hurdles, having scored when 5lb lower at Chepstow (2m, soft) a couple of years ago. Largely inconsistent since then, but was runner-up from today's mark back at Chepstow last April, so can't be discounted.

Form: 46/P929-

Forecasts

Daphne Du Clos (1/1), Valse Au Taillons (11/4), Llantara (10/1), Born To Please (10/1), Deputy Jones (11/1), So Lonely (14/1), Flight To Nowhere (20/1), Riviere Argentee (20/1)

A tough opener where several of them have a bit to prove. Llantara is one of those. but her penchant for heavy ground could give her claims again if she is better for having had a wind operation. Deputy Jones is back on a very workable mark, while Riviere Argentee and Valse Au Taillons can't be ruled out. Daphne Du Clos is another not written off, but she will need to step up on previous efforts to defy this initial mark. That leads us to SO LONELY, who could be better for a break and may be worth chancing now freshened up.