Falcon Scaffold Midlands Optimum Handicap Chase

Off time: 19:34 | Winning time: 5m 1.36s

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Selected odds by:

Shadows In The Sky⁵³

Age: 9| Weight: 11-10| J: S Bowen| T: James Owen| OR: 96

8/13

Successful twice from the front in 2½m handicap chases at Hexham in 2024, the latest off a 1 lb lower mark in October. It's been all downhill since (pulled up last 3 starts) but he wouldn't be the first to benefit from the switch to the James Owen yard.

Form: 415PPP-

Special Dragon^t²⁸

Age: 6| Weight: 11-5| J: Henry Brooke| T: O Greenall & J Guerriero| OR: 91| BF| D

10/3

Fair 21f hurdles winner who looked in need of the run back from 5 months off at Wetherby in March. Stepped up on that when third in 7-runner Haydock handicap (2½m, good) last month (badly hampered at the second-last) and, still open to improvement in this sphere, she has to enter calculations.

Form: 1/28F53-

Kings Justice^p,t²⁸

Age: 7| Weight: 10-11| J: C J Todd| T: S Allwood| OR: 83

11/1

Narrowly denied at Catterick in January and shaped as if back in form until a luckless late exit at Sedgefield (21f, good to soft) 2 months later. Behind Special Dragon at Haydock next time, though, and it could be that a return to Catterick (form figures there read 212B2) is what he needs.

Form: 4P25F4-

Orion D'Aubrelle²²

Age: 12| Weight: 10-11| J: Aaron Anderson⁽⁵⁾| T: M Wigham| OR: 83

20/1

Fairly useful chaser at best when trained by Willie Mullins but didn't show much sole start for John Wright in a hunter last spring and similarly low-key in 2 starts for present yard this year.

Form: 4715/77-

Even Break¹⁹³

Age: 7| Weight: 10-6| J: Benjamin Poste| T: Mrs R Gasson| OR: 78

25/1

Unplaced sole start in Irish points and little to shout about under Rules so far, most recently pulled up on chase debut at Warwick in November.

Form: 8607/PP-

Higgs^b¹¹

Age: 12| Weight: 10-2| J: James Best| T: S-J Davies| OR: 73| C

17/2

Dual winner of low-grade 3m handicap chases this time last year, including at this course. Best effort since the turn of the year when runner-up at Ffos Las 3 starts back but this veteran is not the most reliable of propositions.

Form: 94423-3

Non-Runners

Isholo Du Vivien²⁵²

Weight: 12-0| Age: 7

T: D McCain Jnr J: Theo Gillard

Rock On Rita²

Weight: 10-13| Age: 9

T: N P Mulholland J: Non Runner

Forecasts

Shadows In The Sky (8/13), Isholo Du Vivien (13/8), Special Dragon (10/3), Rock On Rita (5/1), Higgs (17/2), Kings Justice (11/1), Orion D'Aubrelle (20/1), Even Break (25/1)

SHADOWS IN THE SKY arrives here on the back of a string of tame efforts but he's now just 1 lb higher than for his Hexham success during the autumn and, moreover, it would be no surprise were he to bounce back on this debut for the James Owen yard. It will be interesting to see if the market speaks in his favour and, if so, the hint should be taken. Special Dragon did well under the circumstances at Haydock and she is the clear main danger ahead of Isholo du Vivien.