SEAN - Down Royal 12.52 - Handicap Hurdle - 3 miles - 19 run - Soft

 

Not a particularly deep race but there are three horses I like the look of in the context of the race over 3 muddy miles on this lovely galloping track.

 

At the top of the market is Hunting Brook from the Elliott yard, upped a mile and recruited from the Emma Lavelle yard in England where kept to 2 miles. Elliott also runs Gaye Winnie also upped markedly in trip. You can't ever discount his horses so if you want a few quid each way I would not put you off but both have it all to prove at this trip on a stamina testing track!

 

Reserve Judgement is VERY hard to leave out of calculations so will be a reserve in case of a non runner, it has all the form but very much a "Good ground" horse in my mind and could struggle with more rain on already soft ground. A couple who could run well and ones I will TRACK onwards are Ballydangan who has a couple of placed runs that suggest some ability and Eagle Terrace a Cartmel winner who may like the ground and stay on to an enhanced place.

 

My chosen three though are SPICE DIVA, my clear top rated who has a good P2P background in these conditions, has beaten some horses who have gone to top English yards and looks like this is a good opportunity. For smaller shrapnel bet at bigger Odds I like the look of SPEED GANG also a P2P recruit with some decent runs in the mud at this trip and who has run prominently for a long way a few times under Rules and FREE PARKING, who has one bit of eye watering P2P form but has struggled so far under Rules. Back in April last year it beat Imperial Alex in a P2P and that horse ran very well at Warwick the other day in a very hot Handicap Chase to finish runner up. If FREE PARKING could run to anything like that level it would provide a very nice each way return here.

 

Tips (1) Spice Diva / (2s) Speed Gang / (3s) Free Parking