Antepost: Gerry Feilden Handicap Hurdle

We didn't get much luck on Saturday with Lord Snootie coming into the race well but not finishing out his race as expected off a lower weight, and jumping poorly throughout. I'm assuming his sights will need to be lowered if he's to win a race. The front 3 are very good horses mind and Crambo looks a graded horse in making.

Attention turns to Newbury this weekend with the old Hennessy Gold Cup set to be run, whilst there are other attractive races too including the Long Distance hurdle and also the Gerry Feilden. The Gerry Feilden has a long list of winners who've gone into better things, and this year looks like a potential winner could also do that too.

Under Control might lack a fitness edge against some decent horses but definitely looks capable of winning off a mark of 136 this Saturday, before going onto bigger things. It's not out of the realms of possibility that she could compete in a Champion or Mares Hurdle in March, and the plan has always been to take this race in first time out.

Her form is hardly unnoticeable with her beating of Iberico Lord at Sandown last season, who has gone on to win the Greatwood at Cheltenham. I'm really tempted to put her up at 3/1, but the prospect of soft ground (rain/winter showers expected) and her carrying a big weight puts me off due to her size.

Hansard is another horse with scope to improve off a mark of 138 and will strip fitter for his comeback run in the Elite Hurdle at Wincanton. A couple of issues with him is his scruffy jumping (appeared at Wincanton) and this keen strong traveller doesn't always find a huge amount. Brentford Hope will definitely run his race, a strong traveller and coming into this off the back of a 16 length win at Newbury as well. He will go close and he enjoyed soft ground on the flat so that might bring out even more improvement.

Another impressive winner last time out was Matterhorn but the expected soft ground might be a worry, however a horse who won't mind the soft ground and caught the eye at Ascot last month was BAD. Dropped 2lb for that run to a mark of 120, he will enjoy this track and ground off a featherweight.

Ben Pauling mentioned in a stable tour that they hadn't gone 'hard' on his runner in the pre season, so should come on a great deal for his run at Ascot. A winner in France, he went off 5/1 for the Fred Winter which was a hard task on his first run in England, and he should give punters a good run for their money at 16/1 on Saturday.

Bets:

Bad - 1.25pts ew @ 25/1 (Bet365, Skybet) )

Price correct as of 28/11/23 @ 12:41