Jimmyedmonds

MIDNIGHT'S DREAM was putting in some very good efforts when running for Roger Varian back in January. However, since the switch to his new yard with Joseph Parr, he has not shown the same effect. So far in his three runs for his new connections, he's been tried exclusively over a mile at Kempton, and his mark of 71 when joining has now fallen to a career low of 64. What has drawn my attention to him, other than the ridiculous double-figure price, is the return to 7f in this contest. His last try at this trip was his final run for the Varian stable, where he finished 3rd of 9 in a Class 4 off a mark of 71. Form like that, if repeated in any way, would see him at least compete for a place in this. While I would probably like to see the return of some headgear given his sluggish starts in recent runs, he is certainly lurking on a mark he should be capable of taking advantage of. Plenty could go wrong here, but I'm willing to take that chance at these odds.

WESTERNERSUNRISE returned with a good performance back in December when third of 12, running here at Limerick over around a furlong shorter. The heavy ground caused no problems. She's worn a tongue strap for a while now, and following a few below-par runs since that third place finish in December, her trainer has now reached for the cheekpieces and tongue strap combination for the first time. This, combined with her mark that has dropped 2 lb since her last run ??" now only 3 lb higher than her last (and only) winning mark ??" could indicate a turnaround in performance at the very least. Her best form makes her very well weighted in this contest. She does require a bit of faith to back given she pulled up in her last run, looking in trouble a long way out and never going to get into it. However, knowing what she has been capable of in the not-too-distant past and over this course, her odds are simply too big to ignore.

PLAY BY THE RULES has a very long absence to overcome here, but he's joined a yard that tends to have a knack of getting the best out of recruits from Nigel Hawke. So it's worth chancing that Adam Nicol has got his new acquisition ready to roll straight away. Although he's yet to win over this particular trip, he has proven capable over this slightly longer distance in his most recent outings, competing well off marks in the low 80s. Since last seen, the selection has had his mark dropped to 75, and that's the lowest mark he has run off over hurdles, having previously won off marks as high as 93. With that in mind, if he has been fully prepped for this run and carries on from where he was prior to his long break, then he can certainly play his part today.

KALSMAN has proven to be very effective around here, this confirmed when winning over course and distance two runs back off a mark of 88, and although running off 94 today, his run when last seen proved he could be competitive. He was 4th of 14 in this very race on that occasion off 96, a solid piece of form made more impressive by the fact he had been away for 288 days. This clearly proves he can go well fresh, an important factor here given he's been off for 364 days before making his return today. At these weights, now down 2lb, I'm very much of the opinion he's the one to beat, assuming he's primed for this. Let's Go Man looks the obvious, unexposed, threat, seeming like the sort that could improve further having won over a slightly longer distance last time out. That said, the drop back in trip may not be ideal for him, whereas the selection is proven to enjoy the C+D here, so at a solid each way price, is the one to be with.

He's Walim looks a bit too big in the market for me, and despite his lack of race fitness, appeals as good value in this contest. He has some decent two-year-old form, most notably when second around here back in September last year, clocking a decent time figure, and was unlucky not to get up in time when closing on the eventual winner all the way to the line. He also won on debut at Beverley by a good six lengths, which was an eye-catching debut. Despite two other runs that saw him finish last on both occasions, he clearly has talent and, if building on that this season and now gelded, could easily have a say in this. He does come up against Kings Trail in this, who has both a Guineas and a Derby entry??"an obvious talent. If he is as good as it would appear after one run, he will be hard to beat, but he's another coming back from over 100 days off, so he is not certain to be in top form first time back.

Albert Einstein will quite possibly blow this field away, but there are enough variables in this particular race that make my selection, Rahmi, worth chancing and oppose the short-priced talking horse. Rahmi is one of the older horses in the race and has much less room for improvement than a few of these, but based on his effort when last seen 175 days ago at Ascot, he has a chance if running to that level again. He's versatile ground-wise; his last run was very good on soft ground when sixth of 15, and 7f seems to be the trip he is most effective over, pointing towards him at least laying down a challenge at generous odds. Truth be told, there is a good chance that a few of these will improve past him today, but at the price, and with Rahmi proven on the currently forecast soft-to-heavy ground, it would be foolish not to try to get the favourite beat. He should also have a strong pace to aim at, and his high cruising speed could prove effective.

PRINCIPALITY needs to prove he's raring to go after a 147-day absence, but considering most of the field are returning for the first time this season, it may have slightly less of an impact in this than it otherwise would. His fourth at Goodwood back in October on his penultimate start is strong form for this race, and he's racing off 1 lb lower than that today. He was fourth of 12 on that occasion but less than two lengths off the winner. He can probably have that run marked up to some degree because he was always up against it from a wide draw. He tends to relish a good pace to aim at and he should certainly get that in this with the field size and plenty who like to go forward. The ground shouldn't be a problem given his last win actually came on good to soft, interestingly off this mark too. Plenty in here with chances; the selection is more than capable of running into a place at the very least assuming traffic doesn't prove to be a problem, and good value at the price.

Deep Vein has no form of any note in the last four races, all over varying distances, none really the same as today's 7f. That is where his most notable run on paper, albeit a 12th of 14 finish at Dundalk five starts ago, suggests he may have a squeak in this race at a very reasonable price. On that occasion, he finished in amongst the stragglers, but a horse by the name of Angelo Pio, one of those he was close to, has since won off a mark of 75 and continued to be competitive off higher marks since. Now, it could just be coincidence, but the stars do potentially look to be aligning for him here, back at Dundalk, over the only trip he's shown any sort of remotely decent form for this grade, and he is running off a basement mark for this. Whilst he did run here last time out, that was over 12f and his pedigree would suggest this is too far for him. Tried in blinkers this time, he is worth a punt at the current price.

Tommy Dillon is an obscene price in my opinion here. Given his win at Lingfield on his penultimate start, it looks like solid form for this contest. It would be a huge opportunity missed not to get involved. He didn't seem to get the longer trip when upped to 2m4f last time out on heavy ground here at Fontwell, although he travelled well for a good part of it, and will relish the drop back to 2m in this. He was only 1 lb lower than today (80) when winning at Lingfield, and was quickly dropped 2 lb after his run last time out having been put up to 82. He may be a 10-year-old, but the switch back to hurdling seems to be a positive move for him, and he's clearly enjoying his racing still, so he's in with a chance if continuing in form.

Poke the Bear looks a strong candidate in this, despite his seemingly customary slow starts. He has some very good form around here at this level, winning twice and finishing 2nd in three of his last four starts at the track (four of those runs have been in his last five). I do think he is at his best over a mile; 7f possibly does not give him time to recover if and when he does start slowly. His 2nd-place finish in a field of nine on his penultimate start came off the same mark he runs off today, so he's clearly capable of going close among this field and appears to be the best-weighted horse when taking the trip into account.

Rye tends to run to a pretty consistent level. Although she is yet to get her head in front, this has contributed to her mark slowly dropping. This form has included a third-place finish (last time out off a mark of 60) in a field of 11 at Kempton over 6f, and two second-place finishes in succession on her fourth and fifth last runs. A career-low mark of 59 is what she runs off today, and given her ability to pretty much run her race each time, this puts her in a great position against some more inconsistent types in this field. She doesn't have a terrible draw, and her flexibility with regards to track position should stand her in good stead. That, combined with an ever-reducing mark, means it won't be long before she gets her head in front??"quite possibly today!

I think Madame De Labrunie could bounce back in this race today, having not been seen to best effect last time out, racing far too freely, especially given the soft ground at Ludlow that day, and therefore effectively preventing her from laying down any real challenge. Her run at Taunton the time before that, however, was far more encouraging, finishing 3rd of 11 over 2m, running with no real issues on that occasion having been given a patient ride. Admittedly she was left behind by the first two that day but did well to keep on and bag herself 3rd place. If she can avoid pulling too hard and with quicker ground likely in her favour, she will certainly keep the current short-priced favourite at the time of writing (Best Night 2/1) honest throughout and looks the value pick in the race.

Moab should be a big player in this contest. The step back up to 2m4f is a major plus. He did run well last time out when 2nd of 6 at Exeter, but in my opinion he is at his best over a bit further. His most recent hurdles form prior to his run at Exeter was a very strong 2nd of 15 at Huntingdon over his preferred trip, where he was only beaten half a length and to an improver as well, while being a good eight lengths clear of the rest. He travelled strongly throughout, and it was certainly a performance he can build on. This came off a mark only 2 lb lower than he goes off today, and I would be very surprised if he isn't in the mix for this race.

Miss Pronunciation is weighted to go very well here, and the ground will certainly be to her liking. Her best run in recent times was probably her 4th of 10 at Fairyhouse at the back end of November last year (three runs back), when, over a similar trip to today (soft ground), she ran a very good race without being given much of a hard time at all, off a mark of 120. Today's rating of 116 makes her very competitive if running to anything close to that level this time. Whilst her performance last time out was enough to show she's still running to form, she did look as though the trip (on that occasion a good 2f further than her preferred distance) on heavy ground was slightly too testing. The drop back today sets her up nicely, in my opinion.

I think it's worth taking a chance on ATHENAEUM in this race because the form of his 2nd when last seen, being just touched off by a very small margin, is strong for this grade. Whilst not always the smoothest traveler, he certainly has ability at this level, and his mark is only 1 lb lower than his best recent form over in Ireland. Fitness is an obvious concern, having been off the track 210 days, but now with his new trainer Philip Kirby, he could be ready to go under the guidance of Hollie Doyle this evening.

BURABACK looks the best-weighted horse in this race. His form at Chelmsford in the last two starts has been particularly strong for this race. On both occasions he finished 2nd, around a length off the winner, from a mark of 54. He runs off 56 in this (1 lb out of the weights), but I don't think that should prove too much if he continues to run to this level. He actually won over course and distance off this very mark last year. While his draw could have been better, I don't consider it overly detrimental to his chances.

THE BOOLA BOSS had some solid chase form over the course of 2025, winning once over course and distance off a mark of 108. He followed that up with another victory at Chepstow off 112. He dropped off slightly towards the end of the year, possibly due to his sharp rise in the weights after his latest win, and hasn't been seen since 12th of December last year. He may have also been in need of a short rest, and now back after 98 days could easily be a threat off a mark of 114.

KIR looks weighted to go close here if he can recreate the form from his 3rd at Limerick, where he was just over a length off the leader, back in December (penultimate start) He put in a solid showing that day, travelling strongly over the same sort of trip on heavy ground, and is only up 1lb from that today (running off 114 today) He's down 1lb from last time out (115)where he finished 6th of 10, but a long way back, again travelling strongly, as is usual for him, but finding very little when required. Back up in trip now with jockey from the aforementioned solid run also back in the saddle. First time cheekpieces reached for to maybe aid with his tame finish last time out, should be on the premises for at a solid each way price.

IN DENIAL has potential in this race based on her penultimate start, where she finished 5th of 10. Not a standout performance by any means, but she finished in very close proximity to a horse named Arishka's Dream on that occasion, who has since gone on to be competitive in similar-level handicaps off a mark of 70. Given today's selection's lowly mark of 57, it suggests that she has the ability to make an impression here on handicap debut, with improvement likely. With a run under her belt now, she should be raring to go. Odds make her plenty of value in this!

Whip Cracker was a beaten favourite when last seen, running a disappointing 13th of 17 at York at the end of last season. That said, prior form was solid, with two second-place finishes at Yarmouth and Goodwood. His mark based on those runs makes him look capable of being very competitive here, assuming he is fit and firing on his return to action. The race should be run to suit given the field size, and his draw in 7 is beneficial.

A chance can be taken on REAL FORCE in this, mainly because his best runs, and a couple of wins, seem to come after varying degrees of absences. In the last few years, he's won off the back of a 297-day break and a 134-day break, the latter very similar to the time off he is returning from today. While he has yet to win over this distance, he has won at the Curragh before over 5f (back in March 2024, but only four runs ago), and that win came off a mark of 89, 3 lb higher than he races off today. That piece of form would make him very competitive in this if he can match it, and although now a nine-year-old, these odds make him fair value.