8:30 Wolverhampton Tips

Twice a winner over this course and distance last week. Carries a 5 lb penalty, but in this form holds every chance of completing a hat-trick.

Mr Nugget is only one pound higher than when scoring over course and distance two runs ago. That run was in the early part of November with the same jockey on board. Since that race, he has run one more time when upped in distance with a different jockey and finished third. With Rowan Scott back in the saddle and down in trip, Mr Nugget should run well.

Achieving a respectable 4th place in a handicap at Kempton 26 days ago, this 9-year-old demonstrated that he can still be a formidable presence at Class 6 level. Warranting consideration, he stands out as a great option for an each-way bet at fair odds.

Whitley Way has form of 332 since changing trainer, with the first two here at Wolverhampton. The 2nd was at Bath after a 237-day break. She was withdrawn due to a cut leg in her last entry; hopefully she has healed by now and remains fit and ready. Her only attempt at this distance was here at Wolverhampton, when she finished 2nd off the same mark. She is partnered by Jack Callan tonight, who is a bit of an AW expert with his strike rates in the 20s on Tapeta this season and takes off 5 lbs.

Guinness Lad pulled too hard at Leicester and clearly needed that outing, so it’s easy to forgive the effort. He’d been in fair nick before that and tends to be seen to better effect when held up. Still looks effective at 10f and could bounce back with a smoother trip and a stronger pace to aim at.

The Pug showed improvement on his second run for his new yard at Southwell a month ago. A return to previous form puts him firmly in the frame, and he is an each-way option.

Ironically, this horse has been anything but trusty of late, and it's one of my sketchier punts. TRUSTY SCOUT's last run was over a shorter trip than he's used to and would have served to blow away the cobwebs of a four-month break. Course form reads 543523 in 2025, so there's a chance he could get involved if tuned up now.