Family Raceday 21st April Free Entertainment Handicap Chase

Off time: 15:38 | Winning time: 4m 2.6s

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Selected odds by:

Gustavian^t¹⁶

Age: 9| Weight: 12-1| J: Sam Twiston-Davies| T: A J Honeyball| OR: 126

10/3

Sole success over fences to date came in 3-runner affair at Exeter (24.2f) last season. Largely creditable efforts since, but failed to get into much of a jumping rhythm when finishing down the field at Newbury (19.8f, good to soft) just over 2 weeks ago. Drops in grade/trip.

Form: 246U34

Mount Tempest^b¹⁶

Age: 7| Weight: 12-0| J: Harry Skelton| T: D Skelton| OR: 125| D

9/2

Improved for the fitting of blinkers when scoring at Sandown and Wetherby either side of Christmas. Solid third back at Sandown (15.4f, soft) later in January but seems to have gone off the boil on both starts since. Headgear back on.

Form: 8113P4

Royal Mer^t¹¹

Age: 6| Weight: 11-5| J: Jack Tudor| T: D Pipe| OR: 116| D

3/1

Has taken his form up a notch or two since being switched over fences this season, notching his fourth success of the campaign at Wetherby (15.2f, heavy) 11 days ago. Handicapper has taken a swipe with a 9 lb rise, but he may not have finished improving. Big chance.

Form: 215211

Force De Frap^p,t²⁸

Age: 9| Weight: 10-13| J: James Best| T: Mrs E Bishop| OR: 110| C| D

10/3

Dual winner over hurdles last term and repeated the feat over fences with successes at Bangor and Ludlow this term. Unlucky to bump into one even more progressive than himself at Stratford (17f, heavy) last month and this fluent traveller can go very close again.

Form: 544112

Hatos^b,t¹²

Age: 7| Weight: 10-8| J: R P McLernon| T: A J Honeyball| OR: 105| CD

4/1

Off the mark in this sphere at Ffos Las (16f) in February and improved when following up in 4-runner handicap over C&D (heavy) 16 days later. Not in same form at Leicester next time and fared even worse in a change of headgear back here (20.2f, heavy) since. Blinkers back on.

Form: 741124

Forecasts

Royal Mer (3/1), Gustavian (10/3), Force De Frap (10/3), Hatos (4/1), Mount Tempest (9/2)

ROYAL MER has enjoyed a terrific first season over the larger obstacles and David Pipe's 6-y-o is fancied to add victory number 5 to his tally at the expense of Force de Frap, who was unlucky to bump into one even more progressive than himself at Stratford 4 weeks ago and should be bang there again. Mount Tempest can edge out Gustavian for third spot.