16:30 Chester

Saturday 2 September 2023

All13:3514:1014:4515:2015:5516:3017:05

Olivia Acton 21st Birthday Handicap

Off time: 16:33 | Winning time: 1m 8.21s

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Selected odds by:

(11)

Paws For Thought²⁷

Age: 5| Weight: 10-0| J: W Buick| T: D McCain Jnr| OR: 94| CD

4/1

Rattled off a hat-trick of handicaps wins (first one over 7f here) in the summer. Well-held fifth of 6 in 6f listed race here 27 days ago but the sort to bounce back reverted to handicap company.

Form: 371115

(1)

Hyperfocus^p¹⁴

Age: 9| Weight: 9-11| J: D Allan| T: T D Easterby| OR: 91| D

7/1

Scored at Ripon in April but only ninth of 18 in handicap (14/1) at Ripon (6f, good) 14 days ago. Has fallen to a workable mark but more is still needed.

Form: 135009

(4)

Spoof²⁸

Age: 8| Weight: 9-10| J: Ben Robinson| T: K Frost| OR: 90| CD

15/2

C&D winner who improved on recent efforts to land 7-runner handicap at Hamilton (5f, soft) 28 days ago. Can go well again despite a 2 lb rise.

Form: 110921

(5)

Zarzyni³⁵

Age: 6| Weight: 9-9| J: Jason Hart| T: T D Barron| OR: 89| D

7/1

Ran a cracker when fourth of 20 in 5f handicap at Epsom in June but well below form at Ascot and York since. Handily weighted if back on his A-game here.

Form: 0-57400

(2)

Roman Dragon⁵⁰

Age: 4| Weight: 9-4| J: David Probert| T: H Palmer| OR: 84| BF| CD

7/2

4-time course winner, latest in July, who posted another good run here when second of 8 to Count D'orsay 50 days ago. Needs considering once more.

Form: 0-85412

(6)

Call Me Ginger¹³

Age: 7| Weight: 9-3| J: P Mulrennan| T: J S Goldie| OR: 83| D

11/2

Scored 3 times last year, notably the Portland at Doncaster, and he caught the eye when seventh of 14 in handicap at Sandown (5f, good to firm) 13 days ago, nearest finish after a very slow start. Interesting.

Form: 765407

(7)

Dare To Hope¹³

Age: 3| Weight: 9-0| J: Connor Murtagh| T: R A Fahey| OR: 82| D

16/1

Fairly useful as a 2-y-o but off 11 months and below par both runs this term at Haydock and Sandown. Needs to step forward.

Form: 0243-60

(3)

Night On Earth³⁵

Age: 5| Weight: 8-11| J: David Egan| T: Ian Williams| OR: 77| CD

14/1

C&D winner but tongue strap on for 1st time when coming in last of 14 in handicap at Ascot (5f, good to soft) 35 days ago. Has something to prove.

Form: 044060

(12)

Count D'Orsay^p⁸

Age: 7| Weight: 8-10| J: Billy Garritty| T: T D Easterby| OR: 76| CD

11/1

C&D winner in July who comes here on the back of a creditable third of 7 in handicap at Hamilton (5f, good to soft) 8 days ago. Ought to be in the shake-up again despite his high draw.

Form: 170553

(8)

Evocative Spark¹⁰

Age: 4| Weight: 8-9| J: F Norton| T: Darryll Holland| OR: 75| C

40/1

Course winner who took a step back in the right direction for his new yard when fifth of 11 in handicap at Leicester (8.2f, good to firm) 10 days ago. Takes a marked drop in trip here however.

Form: 0-64905

(13)

King Of Tonga^b¹⁶

Age: 7| Weight: 8-9| J: Zak Wheatley⁽⁵⁾| T: D Carroll| OR: 72| CD

20/1

C&D winner but saw his run of good form end when only ninth of 13 in handicap at Beverley (5f, good to firm) 16 days ago. Sort to bounce back.

Form: 485229

Non-Runners

(10)

Democracy Dilemma³⁰

Weight: 9-11| Age: 3

T: P D Evans J: D Tudhope

(9)

Lihou⁷

Weight: 9-6| Age: 7

T: P D Evans J: Pierre-Louis Jamin

Forecasts

Roman Dragon (7/2), Paws For Thought (4/1), Call Me Ginger (11/2), Hyperfocus (7/1), Zarzyni (7/1), Spoof (15/2), Lihou (8/1), Democracy Dilemma (8/1), Count D'Orsay (11/1), Night On Earth (14/1), Dare To Hope (16/1), King Of Tonga (20/1), Evocative Spark (40/1)

A very open sprint so at the likely odds it is worth siding with CALL ME GINGER to build on the promise of his recent Sandown seventh and capitalise on a reduced mark. Spoof is enjoying an excellent season and this C&D winner rates a big threat, while Roman Dragon, Count d'Orsay and King of Tonga all need shortlisting too.