Hexham 8.05

HEXHAM 8.05 Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle - 2 miles 7 1/2 Furlongs - Soft 14 run (Class 5)
 
A moderate race with a strong near Odds On favourite but one in here I've waited a while for.
 
Gillian Bonnas runs FAME AND HOPE and went into my notebook with a promising run early in the New Year. It then disappointed but had a wind operation and ran well enough on return on unsuitably Good ground to suggest it could be placed again soon and possibly nicking a small race.
 
It's best form is at 3 miles and a bit further on soft of yielding ground and it will definitely get that here. A runner up in early January off a mark of 85 is best Rules form and a P2P runner up effort over 3 miles was notably franked earlier this month when a Fergal O'Brieninmate called ASK THE LADY was a runner up at Huntingdon off a mark of 84. It's noted that FAME AND HOPE beat ATL by a whopping 25 lengths in the aforementioned P2P race back in December 2019.
 
I'm prepared to have a wager on that basis off a mark of 79 here with young Tom Migeley taking off 5lbs with Trainer and Jockey both amongst the winners recently/
 
TRACKER - Fame And Hope.