12:43 Ludlow Tips

Very well backed overnight. Looks a much better chaser than over the hurdles. Won very well last time by 4L and is open to plenty of improvement.

Lightning Flash drops a mere 2 lbs since the last start. Has a 31 percent strike rate in the jumps and is already proven in these conditions on this ground but fell last time, so caution should be exercised here. Still likely to impress.

Now finds himself eight pounds heavier than in his last win, but that was the manner of his second place in the last race. More could be in store.

Hypotenus was caught late here first time out this season but is given another chance off the same mark to show what he can do over fences and should be at least placed.

Most punters will remember Milan Tino as one of the plot horses for the 2024 Boodles at the Cheltenham Festival, where he eventually ran a respectable race to finish sixth of 22. He has struggled a bit since and remains winless in ten starts under Rules, but there are bits and pieces of form that suggest he is still an interesting horse, especially at this level. He finished fourth in a Worcester hurdle race in October that is working out well, and his chase debut was better than the bare result suggests. Kept wide throughout, he was hampered at the first by a faller and was never able to get back into contention, with front-runners at Warwick always difficult to peg back from that position. He jumped well overall, with only a couple of novicey errors, but may not have quite seen out the 2m4f trip, so the drop back in distance should help. Usually ridden prominently, I expect him to be closer to the pace today with that first run over fences under his belt, and he looks fairly treated on his hurdle form off a mark of 117. Each-way contender at around 15/2.

Lime Drop seems a bit overpriced at 16/1. The trainer has had a winner recently and the horse returned from a break with a decent enough run on heavy ground. He can do better today.

Its last few starts have been poor, but it's back down to below its last winning mark of 109 (106 today). Five starts back it was in a Class 4 (right-handed) over 2m on good/soft ground (12st) for trainer Philip Hobbs and Johnson White. It carries its lowest chase weight at this level of 11st today. May well be able to get back to winning ways today at decent odds (16/1).