3:45 Southwell Tips

Shotgun Shirley finished ahead of Edith Pelham when second in a Listed mares' bumper at Cheltenham in November on soft ground. She was a decent fourth last time at Warwick when stepping up in distance over hurdles. She could get her first hurdles win here.

Had run well in a couple of bumpers before switching to hurdles at Warwick in January, shaping with plenty of promise. Was below that level at Market Rasen last time when dropping back to two miles, which didn’t help. Back at a more suitable trip and expected to go close.

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She was overmatched in a Listed race at Haydock LTO, but the form from that is very strong. This is a step down in class, where she compares well enough on the clock to this field from that run. A better jockey comes on board today too. Whilst the worst she has run on is Good to Soft, her knee action suggests that this will be OK.

Catwalk Girl, in her official debut under British Horseracing Authority (BHA) rules on February 4 at Ludlow, recorded a Racing Post Rating (RPR) of 94. This is a solid figure for a debutante. Even more positive is her Topspeed of 82, indicating she has acceleration potential that has yet to reach its full extent. According to reports from Specific Pace, Catwalk Girl is expected to run prominently (at the front). On a track currently rated Heavy, being at the front is a crucial tactical advantage, as it avoids the mud kicked up by other horses and allows for cleaner jumping. Her recent record is very encouraging. After winning a point-to-point (3-mile) race last April, she returned from a 254-day layoff to achieve an excellent third place out of 12 runners in her hurdle debut. The positive aspect is that she finished the race strongly, suggesting that today's distance (2m 4f) will suit her perfectly.