Lady Buttons, the favourite, is an absentee from what is, from a punter’s perspective, probably the most interesting race of the day at Leicester, but it is even more competitive as a result, with Allee Bleue now heading the market at 5-1 and all but two of the 12 remaining runners priced at 16-1 or less.
There are all sorts of possibilities to consider, but Expedite (3.10) makes most appeal at his current price of 15-2. Ben Pauling’s runner returns to hurdles after two disappointing runs over fences, most recently when he was brought down at the sixth in a race at Wincanton on Boxing Day that was subsequently declared void when none of the runners finished.
Expedite’s most recent start over hurdles was much more encouraging, however, as he was a convincing winner at Exeter and while he is up 11lb in the weights, that was just his sixth start over timber and his 10th in all. With Adrian Heskin taking over in the saddle, he could well find the necessary improvement to notch another victory today.
The novice handicap chase that follows is competitive too, with three runners arriving on the back of victories last time out. Fingerontheswitch (3.40) looks like the best of these, as his first win over fences at Wetherby last week offered plenty of encouragement that is getting the hang of the bigger obstacles. His 7lb penalty takes his mark today to 126, but he was a close second in a valuable handicap hurdle last season off 137.
Tommy Rapper (4.10) was three-quarters of a length behind Willoughby Court in a maiden hurdle at Warwick in December and the winner then followed up in a Grade Two a few weeks later, so today’s assignment should be within his range.
Subcontinent (2.30), who was an excellent handicapper on the Flat for Godolphin, is an interesting recruit to hurdles at Hereford, where Alcala (3.00) should also go well, while Garter (3.50) and Go George Go (4.25), who has four course-and-distance wins over the new Tapeta track at Newcastle already, are the pick of the all-weather cards.
Today’s tips
Leicester 2.10 Huff And Puff 2.40 Paddocks Lounge 3.10 Expedite 3.40 Fingerontheswitch (nap) 4.10 Tommy Rapper (nb) 4.40 Seven Summits
Hereford 1.30 Way Of The World 2.00 Dig Deeper 2.30 Subcontinent 3.00 Alcala 3.30 Goodtoknow 4.00 Pacha Du Polder 4.30 Born For War
Kempton Park 2.20 American Patrol 2.50 Drumochter 3.20 Bois Du Boulogne 3.50 Garter 4.20 Lexington Times 4.50 Alcatraz 5.20 Canadian Diamond
Newcastle 4.25 Go George Go 5.00 Mama Africa 5.30 Zandradee 6.00 Vatican Hill 6.30 Rock Warbler 7.00 Dodgy Bob
