Charles Hills sent out Double Rush and Bob Mali to finish 1-2 in the 3yo handicap at the Craven meeting so it's interesting that he relies on handicap debutant Hoodie Hoo here. He looks feasibly treated and commands plenty of respect, while Dark Cloud Rising was impressive at Pontefract on his reappearance and might have more to offer himself. Invictus Gold is solid but the two most intriguing candidates are the Middleham Park Racing owned pair The Dragon King and UNCLE DON. The former did remarkably well to win over C&D when last seen but Richard Fahey's topweight also looked one to keep firmly onside when flying home for second at the Ayr Gold Cup meeting. His subsequent defeat at Redcar is easy to forgive and he retains significant potential.[Paul Smith]
Watch Live UK & Irish Racing
Simply place a bet of £5 or more on
any UK or Irish race to watch the action live!
While his defeat of Big Mojo in a Beverley maiden shouldn't be taken literally, he did show he was useful when second in a 5f Listed event at Ayr's Western meeting (came from nowhere in the final furlong); a below-par run in the Two-Year-Old Trophy at Redcar is easy enough to forgive (poor draw/soft ground) and he could rate higher this year; the booking of Ryan Moore looks a fair indicator that he'll be primed after his absence.
Useful 2yo for Karl Burke on soft/heavy, rounding off his season with a good third in a York Listed event 203 days ago; sold for 65,000gns soon afterwards; reappears for a yard gong well but the ground and absence of headgear are potential concerns.
Progressive at two and he made an encouraging reappearance when third over C&D at the Craven meeting, just tiring in the final furlong; a bit more to prove on a faster surface but he's not fully exposed just yet and is on a competitive mark.
Highly tried last season after winning a 6f novice at Goodwood in June; sold out of the Hannon stable for 47,000gns and gelded; hard to say he was thrown in for his handicap debut but he's only had five starts and the best could still be to come.
Two 6f wins on AW this year and when bidding for a hat-trick he was one of a number who met trouble in the 3yo handicap at Newcastle on Good Friday; two good turf runs last year came on soft ground; vulnerable to progressive opposition.
Didn't have to improve to win a three-runner fillies' novice at Musselburgh when last seen in October (5f, good); a big step forward will be needed to defy this mark now handicapping; stable also run Uncle Don.
Two 5f wins last summer but he took his form to a new level when flying home to win a C&D sales race in October (good to soft); hit with a 6lb rise and his poor early position in that race came as a result of racing lazily; he's been gelded since and he can't be ruled out for last year's winning stable.
Finished behind a couple of today's rivals in a York Listed event last October (6f, soft); gelded afterwards; strong in the market and ran out an emphatic winner at Pontefract on his seasonal return last month (6f, good); up 7lb in a deeper race but he did look good last time.
He made giant strides on AW over the winter, winning four times over this trip; as good as ever when a close fifth at Newcastle on Good Friday but he's taking on deeper opposition now back on turf.
Flopped on her 2yo debut (6f, soft) but she had wind surgery soon after and returned in August looking a different proposition, winning at Ripon before a good second under a penalty at Newbury; solid effort at Doncaster on her nursery debut 233 days ago; can do better this year but such progress is a must in this field.
Made all to win a 6f maiden at Wolverhampton in March and showed better form when second under a penalty at Kempton 12 days ago; opening mark looks manageable and his trainer has a useful 3yo sprint handicapper against which to judge him; interesting.
5f maiden win as a 2yo; improved effort on his seasonal reappearance (had wind surgery in March), gamely making all at Ripon off a 4lb lower mark (6f, good); could yet rate higher but this is a much stronger event.
1/4 Odds Place 1,2,3
( Pool guide displayed could change before the race starts & should be used as a guide only )
