With the form of his clear Hereford third reading well, STRONG AS STEEL is the pick ahead of point runner-up Followcato. The Nicky Henderson-trained Notorious Pink could leave her debut performance miles behind, while Infantryman showed promise in a hot race at Lingfield last time.[Ben Hutton]
Watch Live UK & Irish Racing
Simply place a bet of £5 or more on
any UK or Irish race to watch the action live!
£25,000 3yo; third foal; closely related to 2m4f chase winner Counteract (RPR 99); dam bumper and useful hurdle/chase winner; trainer has a healthy strike-rate in bumpers and he could go well on debut.
Went very close on debut at Ludlow (2m, good) last October and 3l fourth of 15 at Hereford (2m, good) in November; can give another good account but needs something extra to win this, and his future lies over further.
Runner-up on debut in Irish maiden point (3m, soft to heavy) in February and changed hands for £72,000 in February; new trainer is enjoying an excellent season with his bumper runners and he's firmly in calculations.
8-1, kept on for fair fourth of 14 on debut at Lingfield (2m, AW) in December; plenty of improvement needed today but he could be sharper for that outing and his dam was useful; trainer among the winners.
Point runner-up who also showed promise when third of six on bumper debut at Market Rasen (2m, good to soft; 5-1) last month; open to improvement and could be involved for up-and-coming yard.
Third foal; dam placed 6f 2yo, half-sister to three winners including Brave Richard who was a triple bumper winner for this yard and made winning debut here in 2015; however, he may be best watched on this first run.
Built upon the promise of his Ludlow debut sixth (2m, soft) when third on last month's stable debut at Hereford (2m, soft); he was well clear with two previous winners and holds leading claims on that latest evidence.
Closely related to classy stablemate The Real Whacker and she's open to improvement on this second start, but she was well beaten at 20-1 on last month's debut at Newcastle (heavy) and needs a big step forward.
6-1, tailed off on debut at Wincanton (1m7f, good to soft) in February; however, her top yard is now emerging from a difficult period and this half-sister to six winners could be an entirely different proposition here.
Tailed off on debut at Wincanton (1m7f, heavy) in December but January's 13l sixth of 13 at Lingfield (2m, AW) came in a race that has worked out extremely well and he's one for the shortlist.
Second foal; dam staying hurdle/chase winner (RPR 118) from talented family; trainer has had another productive season in bumpers but this newcomer's future may lie over further.
£11,000 3yo; half-brother to winners Gaitway (bumper/2m hurdle; RPR 127), Diamond Gait (bumper/2m hurdle; 127) and Commander Miller (2m3f hurdle; 101); represents in-form yard and he was a promising fourth on debut at Ludlow (good) yesterday; might not be far away if turned out swiftly.
Runner-up in British maiden point (3m, soft) in February but was beaten 23l; failed to settle when 15l sixth of 12 in bumper at Taunton (2m, soft; 9-1) last month; others have stronger credentials.
1/5 Odds Place 1,2,3
( Pool guide displayed could change before the race starts & should be used as a guide only )
