greek1971

Seven 3-year olds line up for this juvenile hurdle, all making their hurdling debut so no form in this sphere to go on! At a very basic level, each horse should be 6/1, MARRAKESH DAWN is 110/1 at the time of writing with Paddy Power. A selection based on maths it is then!

Unexposed having only raced twice under Rules. On the face of it, they look like poor runs but he went off 2/1 fav for his bumper debut run (2m 2f) and was leading up to 1 furlong out before fading quickly. He went off 8/1 for his hurdle debut (2m 4f) and was running well before a bad mistake sending him sprawling 3 furlongs out. Judging by the SP's on those runs, better is expected and he's worth another chance at big odds in this fairly weak race.

BLAZING COURT (20/1) was doing well chasing last year but reverted back to hurdles in November. He's a consistent sort who often makes the frame in both codes. It's evident that he needs a run after a break to fire on all cylinders. He's had two respectable runs last month, so I expect he'll improve again today under claimer John Dixon (7lb allowance), who knows how to handle him.

Unlucky to lose a shoe on last month's hurdle debut over this course and distance. Ben Jones has another go this afternoon. Favourite Romany Brown will be a tough nut to crack but he carries a penalty for his recent win in a mediocre race and could be vulnerable.

Two Mullins horses at the top of the market look ominous again, but bare form doesn't look great. SOUTH OF KILLERIG is lightly raced, posting two good efforts over hurdles last season, and a recent flat run will have cleared the cobwebs. Tom Harney, who managed to place our 50/1 pick yesterday and partnered him on all of those rides, takes the reins again, and a bold show is expected.

A big field but many can be written off. The Mullins favourite takes a big chunk of the market but has only ran twice over hurdles and they were both poor. He's still not taken lightly but ARCTIC FLAME has the best hurdling form and should at least make the places barring accidents.

A tentative choice, but he's got some good form. Just not as consistent as some of the others. But in this small field, he has his ideal conditions, and Charlie Dwyer knows him so well.

BELCAMO has the best hurdle form here, but following a very promising close 2nd on debut hurdle race in November, his two subsequent runs have been poor. The heavy ground at Leicester may have been an excuse that time, but in the Wetherby run in December, he seemed to go off too fast and ran out of steam. Harry Banister takes the reins today, and a hood is fitted (won on the flat when hooded), so maybe a revival can be sparked today.

OVAL STREET (25/1) has been inconsistent over hurdles but has been placed three times, including over this course and distance. Last time out, he finished 4th in a decent race, and that's good form back in this race. The four in front of him in the market have significant questions to answer. Favourite, Knights Affair, won his debut hurdle race last time, but he did not beat anything special and now carries a 6lb penalty for that. Keel Stand is surely short-priced due to being a Nichol-trained horse, having been well-beaten on both hurdle starts to date. Chief Black Robe has some good chase form but atrocious hurdle form, so I really don't know why he's trying again here. Highway Hero pulled up on his only hurdle start last time. OVAL STREET is not perfect by any means, but he has a good chance in this field.

A 16-runner maiden hurdle, but only 5 have any decent hurdling form of note. Of those 5, In The Trenches, Keep Kool Coko, and Couldntmakitup look exposed. So I'm drawn towards the Elliott horse, Western Note (22/1), and WHISKEY ON ICE (22/1), who looks progressive. He's only run twice but showed significant improvement at Sligo over this distance in a decent quality race to finish a close-up 3rd of 12.