Darran

But people have different opinions on horses so not a massive surprise that they can have such varying opinions from time to time. 

But people have different opinions on horses so not a massive surprise that they can have such varying opinions from time to time. 

My old friend Babytaggle is back out again in the 7.05 at stratford. I must admit I’m not sure he will beat the favourite who would still be well handicapped if he runs like he did at Market Rasen, but clearly he is an ew play again.
Babytaggle ew at 13/2 with bet365 

My old friend Babytaggle is back out again in the 7.05 at stratford. I must admit I’m not sure he will beat the favourite who would still be well handicapped if he runs like he did at Market Rasen, but clearly he is an ew play again.
Babytaggle ew at 13/2 with bet365 

My old friend Babytaggle is back out again in the 7.05 at stratford. I must admit I’m not sure he will beat the favourite who would still be well handicapped if he runs like he did at Market Rasen, but clearly he is an ew play again.
Babytaggle ew at 13/2 with bet365 

My old friend Babytaggle is back out again in the 7.05 at stratford. I must admit I’m not sure he will beat the favourite who would still be well handicapped if he runs like he did at Market Rasen, but clearly he is an ew play again.
Babytaggle ew at 13/2 with bet365 

My old friend Babytaggle is back out again in the 7.05 at stratford. I must admit I’m not sure he will beat the favourite who would still be well handicapped if he runs like he did at Market Rasen, but clearly he is an ew play again.
Babytaggle ew at 13/2 with bet365 

Was pleasing to see More Buck's show a much improved performance on Saturday night and it was tough to see him headed on the run in especially by one of the dangers. He clearly needs to lead as he seemed to enjoy himself unlike Stratford where he sulked. He's clearly handicapped to win though. As for Babytaggle I just don't know how he didn't finish in the first 3. He deserves to get his head in front and I would imagine he will be back out again on Monday as he has 3 entries at Stratford.   I have one in the opener at Worcester this afternoon. I don't think this is one to go overboard about, but I think there is value in having a small bet e/w on O'Faolains Lad. His pointing form suggest he could be up to running well off a mark of 89 and I suspect that the two hurdle runs were to get a handicap mark. As soon as he has got that handicap mark he has gone straight over fences which is no coincidence in my opinion. The favourite looks like he could still have improvement to come and is obviously pretty short so it might turn out O'Faolains Lad isn't up to beating him even if he does show he can win off this mark, but at 14/1 he is worth a small e/w bet in the expectation he will be capable of showing his pointing form now going handicapping over fences.   O'Faolains Lad e/w @ 16/1 with Betfred 4 places 1/5 odds

Was pleasing to see More Buck's show a much improved performance on Saturday night and it was tough to see him headed on the run in especially by one of the dangers. He clearly needs to lead as he seemed to enjoy himself unlike Stratford where he sulked. He's clearly handicapped to win though. As for Babytaggle I just don't know how he didn't finish in the first 3. He deserves to get his head in front and I would imagine he will be back out again on Monday as he has 3 entries at Stratford.   I have one in the opener at Worcester this afternoon. I don't think this is one to go overboard about, but I think there is value in having a small bet e/w on O'Faolains Lad. His pointing form suggest he could be up to running well off a mark of 89 and I suspect that the two hurdle runs were to get a handicap mark. As soon as he has got that handicap mark he has gone straight over fences which is no coincidence in my opinion. The favourite looks like he could still have improvement to come and is obviously pretty short so it might turn out O'Faolains Lad isn't up to beating him even if he does show he can win off this mark, but at 14/1 he is worth a small e/w bet in the expectation he will be capable of showing his pointing form now going handicapping over fences.   O'Faolains Lad e/w @ 16/1 with Betfred 4 places 1/5 odds

Was pleasing to see More Buck's show a much improved performance on Saturday night and it was tough to see him headed on the run in especially by one of the dangers. He clearly needs to lead as he seemed to enjoy himself unlike Stratford where he sulked. He's clearly handicapped to win though. As for Babytaggle I just don't know how he didn't finish in the first 3. He deserves to get his head in front and I would imagine he will be back out again on Monday as he has 3 entries at Stratford.   I have one in the opener at Worcester this afternoon. I don't think this is one to go overboard about, but I think there is value in having a small bet e/w on O'Faolains Lad. His pointing form suggest he could be up to running well off a mark of 89 and I suspect that the two hurdle runs were to get a handicap mark. As soon as he has got that handicap mark he has gone straight over fences which is no coincidence in my opinion. The favourite looks like he could still have improvement to come and is obviously pretty short so it might turn out O'Faolains Lad isn't up to beating him even if he does show he can win off this mark, but at 14/1 he is worth a small e/w bet in the expectation he will be capable of showing his pointing form now going handicapping over fences.   O'Faolains Lad e/w @ 16/1 with Betfred 4 places 1/5 odds

Was pleasing to see More Buck's show a much improved performance on Saturday night and it was tough to see him headed on the run in especially by one of the dangers. He clearly needs to lead as he seemed to enjoy himself unlike Stratford where he sulked. He's clearly handicapped to win though. As for Babytaggle I just don't know how he didn't finish in the first 3. He deserves to get his head in front and I would imagine he will be back out again on Monday as he has 3 entries at Stratford.   I have one in the opener at Worcester this afternoon. I don't think this is one to go overboard about, but I think there is value in having a small bet e/w on O'Faolains Lad. His pointing form suggest he could be up to running well off a mark of 89 and I suspect that the two hurdle runs were to get a handicap mark. As soon as he has got that handicap mark he has gone straight over fences which is no coincidence in my opinion. The favourite looks like he could still have improvement to come and is obviously pretty short so it might turn out O'Faolains Lad isn't up to beating him even if he does show he can win off this mark, but at 14/1 he is worth a small e/w bet in the expectation he will be capable of showing his pointing form now going handicapping over fences.   O'Faolains Lad e/w @ 16/1 with Betfred 4 places 1/5 odds

Was pleasing to see More Buck's show a much improved performance on Saturday night and it was tough to see him headed on the run in especially by one of the dangers. He clearly needs to lead as he seemed to enjoy himself unlike Stratford where he sulked. He's clearly handicapped to win though. As for Babytaggle I just don't know how he didn't finish in the first 3. He deserves to get his head in front and I would imagine he will be back out again on Monday as he has 3 entries at Stratford.   I have one in the opener at Worcester this afternoon. I don't think this is one to go overboard about, but I think there is value in having a small bet e/w on O'Faolains Lad. His pointing form suggest he could be up to running well off a mark of 89 and I suspect that the two hurdle runs were to get a handicap mark. As soon as he has got that handicap mark he has gone straight over fences which is no coincidence in my opinion. The favourite looks like he could still have improvement to come and is obviously pretty short so it might turn out O'Faolains Lad isn't up to beating him even if he does show he can win off this mark, but at 14/1 he is worth a small e/w bet in the expectation he will be capable of showing his pointing form now going handicapping over fences.   O'Faolains Lad e/w @ 16/1 with Betfred 4 places 1/5 odds

Was pleasing to see More Buck's show a much improved performance on Saturday night and it was tough to see him headed on the run in especially by one of the dangers. He clearly needs to lead as he seemed to enjoy himself unlike Stratford where he sulked. He's clearly handicapped to win though. As for Babytaggle I just don't know how he didn't finish in the first 3. He deserves to get his head in front and I would imagine he will be back out again on Monday as he has 3 entries at Stratford.   I have one in the opener at Worcester this afternoon. I don't think this is one to go overboard about, but I think there is value in having a small bet e/w on O'Faolains Lad. His pointing form suggest he could be up to running well off a mark of 89 and I suspect that the two hurdle runs were to get a handicap mark. As soon as he has got that handicap mark he has gone straight over fences which is no coincidence in my opinion. The favourite looks like he could still have improvement to come and is obviously pretty short so it might turn out O'Faolains Lad isn't up to beating him even if he does show he can win off this mark, but at 14/1 he is worth a small e/w bet in the expectation he will be capable of showing his pointing form now going handicapping over fences.   O'Faolains Lad e/w @ 16/1 with Betfred 4 places 1/5 odds

Was pleasing to see More Buck's show a much improved performance on Saturday night and it was tough to see him headed on the run in especially by one of the dangers. He clearly needs to lead as he seemed to enjoy himself unlike Stratford where he sulked. He's clearly handicapped to win though. As for Babytaggle I just don't know how he didn't finish in the first 3. He deserves to get his head in front and I would imagine he will be back out again on Monday as he has 3 entries at Stratford.   I have one in the opener at Worcester this afternoon. I don't think this is one to go overboard about, but I think there is value in having a small bet e/w on O'Faolains Lad. His pointing form suggest he could be up to running well off a mark of 89 and I suspect that the two hurdle runs were to get a handicap mark. As soon as he has got that handicap mark he has gone straight over fences which is no coincidence in my opinion. The favourite looks like he could still have improvement to come and is obviously pretty short so it might turn out O'Faolains Lad isn't up to beating him even if he does show he can win off this mark, but at 14/1 he is worth a small e/w bet in the expectation he will be capable of showing his pointing form now going handicapping over fences.   O'Faolains Lad e/w @ 16/1 with Betfred 4 places 1/5 odds

Was pleasing to see More Buck's show a much improved performance on Saturday night and it was tough to see him headed on the run in especially by one of the dangers. He clearly needs to lead as he seemed to enjoy himself unlike Stratford where he sulked. He's clearly handicapped to win though. As for Babytaggle I just don't know how he didn't finish in the first 3. He deserves to get his head in front and I would imagine he will be back out again on Monday as he has 3 entries at Stratford.   I have one in the opener at Worcester this afternoon. I don't think this is one to go overboard about, but I think there is value in having a small bet e/w on O'Faolains Lad. His pointing form suggest he could be up to running well off a mark of 89 and I suspect that the two hurdle runs were to get a handicap mark. As soon as he has got that handicap mark he has gone straight over fences which is no coincidence in my opinion. The favourite looks like he could still have improvement to come and is obviously pretty short so it might turn out O'Faolains Lad isn't up to beating him even if he does show he can win off this mark, but at 14/1 he is worth a small e/w bet in the expectation he will be capable of showing his pointing form now going handicapping over fences.   O'Faolains Lad e/w @ 16/1 with Betfred 4 places 1/5 odds

Although the hunter chase season doesn't start until January I will continue to post the pointers/hunter chasers who catch my eye running in handicaps and there are two today at Market Rasen.   I put More Buck's up at Stratford last time and he ended up going off joint favourite with Franz Klammer. I must admit given how well handicapped that one turned out to be I'm not sure More Buck's would have beaten him, but he ran no sort of race and for whatever reason he just didn't enjoy himself. On his pointing form this year he is really well handicapped and so well handicapped that I have to give him another chance here at a double figure price. Obviously he could be one of those horses who isn't able to run to form under rules, but you can always forgive a horse a poor run and that Stratford effort was pretty much too bad to be true. Clearly you can't have as much confidence here as you could pre-Stratford, but he has to be given one last chance in a weak race. I thought Writteninthesand and Going Mobile were the biggest dangers, but there certainly doesn't appear to be a Franz Klammer in this contest.   More Buck's e/w @ 16/1 with Bet365   That race is at 6.35 and half an hour later my old friend Babytaggle is back out. He of course was 2nd in that Stratford race above and he has been unlucky to bump into two well handicapped horses so there was nothing wrong in being well beaten by them. He went much closer when 2nd again last time in a strange contest where he dropped towards the rear at one stage before he stayed on well. For some reason he is now on his 3rd trainer this year and I must admit I don't know too much about Gary Brown although he seems to have recently returned to training so I wouldn't pay too much attention to the fact it's been a very long time since he trained a winner. Again this isn't a strong contest. If Rebel Leader is able to back up his run last time then he will clearly go very close and Train Hill looks like he wants to go this way round as well as this extra trip. Those two look the biggest dangers, but again he looks worth backing e/w.   Babytaggle e/w @ 9/1 with Bet365 (3 places 1/4 odds) and the likes of William Hill are 8/1 (4 places 1/5 odds)

Although the hunter chase season doesn't start until January I will continue to post the pointers/hunter chasers who catch my eye running in handicaps and there are two today at Market Rasen.   I put More Buck's up at Stratford last time and he ended up going off joint favourite with Franz Klammer. I must admit given how well handicapped that one turned out to be I'm not sure More Buck's would have beaten him, but he ran no sort of race and for whatever reason he just didn't enjoy himself. On his pointing form this year he is really well handicapped and so well handicapped that I have to give him another chance here at a double figure price. Obviously he could be one of those horses who isn't able to run to form under rules, but you can always forgive a horse a poor run and that Stratford effort was pretty much too bad to be true. Clearly you can't have as much confidence here as you could pre-Stratford, but he has to be given one last chance in a weak race. I thought Writteninthesand and Going Mobile were the biggest dangers, but there certainly doesn't appear to be a Franz Klammer in this contest.   More Buck's e/w @ 16/1 with Bet365   That race is at 6.35 and half an hour later my old friend Babytaggle is back out. He of course was 2nd in that Stratford race above and he has been unlucky to bump into two well handicapped horses so there was nothing wrong in being well beaten by them. He went much closer when 2nd again last time in a strange contest where he dropped towards the rear at one stage before he stayed on well. For some reason he is now on his 3rd trainer this year and I must admit I don't know too much about Gary Brown although he seems to have recently returned to training so I wouldn't pay too much attention to the fact it's been a very long time since he trained a winner. Again this isn't a strong contest. If Rebel Leader is able to back up his run last time then he will clearly go very close and Train Hill looks like he wants to go this way round as well as this extra trip. Those two look the biggest dangers, but again he looks worth backing e/w.   Babytaggle e/w @ 9/1 with Bet365 (3 places 1/4 odds) and the likes of William Hill are 8/1 (4 places 1/5 odds)

Although the hunter chase season doesn't start until January I will continue to post the pointers/hunter chasers who catch my eye running in handicaps and there are two today at Market Rasen.   I put More Buck's up at Stratford last time and he ended up going off joint favourite with Franz Klammer. I must admit given how well handicapped that one turned out to be I'm not sure More Buck's would have beaten him, but he ran no sort of race and for whatever reason he just didn't enjoy himself. On his pointing form this year he is really well handicapped and so well handicapped that I have to give him another chance here at a double figure price. Obviously he could be one of those horses who isn't able to run to form under rules, but you can always forgive a horse a poor run and that Stratford effort was pretty much too bad to be true. Clearly you can't have as much confidence here as you could pre-Stratford, but he has to be given one last chance in a weak race. I thought Writteninthesand and Going Mobile were the biggest dangers, but there certainly doesn't appear to be a Franz Klammer in this contest.   More Buck's e/w @ 16/1 with Bet365   That race is at 6.35 and half an hour later my old friend Babytaggle is back out. He of course was 2nd in that Stratford race above and he has been unlucky to bump into two well handicapped horses so there was nothing wrong in being well beaten by them. He went much closer when 2nd again last time in a strange contest where he dropped towards the rear at one stage before he stayed on well. For some reason he is now on his 3rd trainer this year and I must admit I don't know too much about Gary Brown although he seems to have recently returned to training so I wouldn't pay too much attention to the fact it's been a very long time since he trained a winner. Again this isn't a strong contest. If Rebel Leader is able to back up his run last time then he will clearly go very close and Train Hill looks like he wants to go this way round as well as this extra trip. Those two look the biggest dangers, but again he looks worth backing e/w.   Babytaggle e/w @ 9/1 with Bet365 (3 places 1/4 odds) and the likes of William Hill are 8/1 (4 places 1/5 odds)

Although the hunter chase season doesn't start until January I will continue to post the pointers/hunter chasers who catch my eye running in handicaps and there are two today at Market Rasen.   I put More Buck's up at Stratford last time and he ended up going off joint favourite with Franz Klammer. I must admit given how well handicapped that one turned out to be I'm not sure More Buck's would have beaten him, but he ran no sort of race and for whatever reason he just didn't enjoy himself. On his pointing form this year he is really well handicapped and so well handicapped that I have to give him another chance here at a double figure price. Obviously he could be one of those horses who isn't able to run to form under rules, but you can always forgive a horse a poor run and that Stratford effort was pretty much too bad to be true. Clearly you can't have as much confidence here as you could pre-Stratford, but he has to be given one last chance in a weak race. I thought Writteninthesand and Going Mobile were the biggest dangers, but there certainly doesn't appear to be a Franz Klammer in this contest.   More Buck's e/w @ 16/1 with Bet365   That race is at 6.35 and half an hour later my old friend Babytaggle is back out. He of course was 2nd in that Stratford race above and he has been unlucky to bump into two well handicapped horses so there was nothing wrong in being well beaten by them. He went much closer when 2nd again last time in a strange contest where he dropped towards the rear at one stage before he stayed on well. For some reason he is now on his 3rd trainer this year and I must admit I don't know too much about Gary Brown although he seems to have recently returned to training so I wouldn't pay too much attention to the fact it's been a very long time since he trained a winner. Again this isn't a strong contest. If Rebel Leader is able to back up his run last time then he will clearly go very close and Train Hill looks like he wants to go this way round as well as this extra trip. Those two look the biggest dangers, but again he looks worth backing e/w.   Babytaggle e/w @ 9/1 with Bet365 (3 places 1/4 odds) and the likes of William Hill are 8/1 (4 places 1/5 odds)

Although the hunter chase season doesn't start until January I will continue to post the pointers/hunter chasers who catch my eye running in handicaps and there are two today at Market Rasen.   I put More Buck's up at Stratford last time and he ended up going off joint favourite with Franz Klammer. I must admit given how well handicapped that one turned out to be I'm not sure More Buck's would have beaten him, but he ran no sort of race and for whatever reason he just didn't enjoy himself. On his pointing form this year he is really well handicapped and so well handicapped that I have to give him another chance here at a double figure price. Obviously he could be one of those horses who isn't able to run to form under rules, but you can always forgive a horse a poor run and that Stratford effort was pretty much too bad to be true. Clearly you can't have as much confidence here as you could pre-Stratford, but he has to be given one last chance in a weak race. I thought Writteninthesand and Going Mobile were the biggest dangers, but there certainly doesn't appear to be a Franz Klammer in this contest.   More Buck's e/w @ 16/1 with Bet365   That race is at 6.35 and half an hour later my old friend Babytaggle is back out. He of course was 2nd in that Stratford race above and he has been unlucky to bump into two well handicapped horses so there was nothing wrong in being well beaten by them. He went much closer when 2nd again last time in a strange contest where he dropped towards the rear at one stage before he stayed on well. For some reason he is now on his 3rd trainer this year and I must admit I don't know too much about Gary Brown although he seems to have recently returned to training so I wouldn't pay too much attention to the fact it's been a very long time since he trained a winner. Again this isn't a strong contest. If Rebel Leader is able to back up his run last time then he will clearly go very close and Train Hill looks like he wants to go this way round as well as this extra trip. Those two look the biggest dangers, but again he looks worth backing e/w.   Babytaggle e/w @ 9/1 with Bet365 (3 places 1/4 odds) and the likes of William Hill are 8/1 (4 places 1/5 odds)

Good to get a decent price winner last Sunday at Sale as we move on to a big day at Sandown tomorrow morning. There are 3 jumps races including the Crisp Steeplechase and the Grand National Hurdle.
Race 1 (2.45am)
It is the Crisp Steeplechase that we start off with and it looks a quality renewal. Maher & Eustace have plenty of strength throughout the card and could easily win all 3 races. I am taking them on here though with Social Element who has done us well so far this season. He is 3/3 over fences and took the big race at Pakenham in good style last time. He had Riding High back in 3rd and Ablaze back in 4th that day and although I expect Ablaze to do better here I just wonder if he might need another start to get up to full fitness. He had nothing at the end of the race at Pakenham and although the step up in distance will help, Social Element was hardly stopping and I do think he will improve for the step up in trip as well. Big Blue will come on again after winning the maiden chase at Pakenham which was his first jumps start since last year's Cheltenham Festival. He wouldn't be a surprise winner. Flying Agent has under performed the last twice now, but he will be a big player if able to find his best form again.
Social Element 1pt @ 6/4 with Betfred
Race 4 (4.45am)
Tamarack backs up here after winning for us last week and he was visually impressive after being well backed. It wasn't a strong race though and on the clock Sivar was the more impressive winner at Sale last week when he took out the 0-114 contest. He backed up the promising 2nd to Norway on his hurdles debut and I think he has a chance in this. Mawaany Machine is currently odds on having beaten Karakoram at Pakenham last time. Strictly speaking at these weights Karakoram should reverse the form, but I think the winner had more up his sleeve that day and can withhold the form. I don't think he is any value however so I am happy to take him on. The ex Joseph O'Brien Light Pillar was really impressive on his hurdles debut at Pakenham and his final 600m was nearly 4 seconds quicker than Mawaany Machine. I'm guessing Pateman had the choice, but I think he has chosen wrong as Light Pillar looks a really promising hurdler and impressed me more than Mawaany Machine has this season. I will also cover Sivar as he looks over priced.
Light Pillar 2pts @ 11/4 with Betfred
Sivar 0.5pt @ 9/1 with Betfred
Race 5 (5.25am)
What a race we have for the Grand National Hurdle although the 3 horses in single figures all come from the Maher & Eustace yard. Saunter Boy heads the beating having taken the Australian Hurdle here back in May although this is over another 300m. He did it well that day and you can hardly knock him on what he has done since. He has finished 2nd and 3rd in two good flat race at Flemington and in between he landed the Kevin Lafferty at Warrnambool beating Inayforhay by 7L. He sets a stiff standard, but his stablemates Norway and Wil John have made very promising starts to their hurdle careers. Norway has won both hurdle starts by 10L so far and was really impressive at Pakenham last time. We know he has the flat class from his time in Ireland and Britain and going over hurdles has clearly perked him up as he had lost his way. I am however going to go with the current 3rd choice in the betting Wil John. For me he has been the most impressive winner of the various maiden hurdles this season when he won at the Warrnambool Carnival. He then won on the Flat at Bendigo before bolting up back at Warrnambool last month. The 2nd that day was Karakoram so he has helped frank the form since. He steps up to 4200m for the first time over hurdles, but he finished 3rd over 4600m on the flat last November so this extra trip if anything might see some more improvement. He gets weight from the other two as well and as much as either Saunter Boy or Norway could win, I am going to take Wil John to back up the high regard I hold him in.
Wil John 2pts @ 3/1 with Betfred

If you are talking in quality then Big Blue's exploits over here probably sums up what sort of level they are running to. Having said that he probably never had his ideal conditions over here and I think there are better horses than him. Also if Norway had gone hurdling over in Ireland then you would think he would have been able to win races as he has done in Oz. Most of the races are over 2m as well and I think they could do with more variations of race distance. Racing.com is my go to place for all Australian racing. They cover Victoria and South Australia which are the only two states which still have jumps racing in Oz. They have all the form you need as well as replays and the footage from trials which is great to see how well newcomers have taken to the jumping game. It's all free as well and once you sign up you can also watch the live action for free as it is also a TV channel in Oz.

If you are talking in quality then Big Blue's exploits over here probably sums up what sort of level they are running to. Having said that he probably never had his ideal conditions over here and I think there are better horses than him. Also if Norway had gone hurdling over in Ireland then you would think he would have been able to win races as he has done in Oz. Most of the races are over 2m as well and I think they could do with more variations of race distance. Racing.com is my go to place for all Australian racing. They cover Victoria and South Australia which are the only two states which still have jumps racing in Oz. They have all the form you need as well as replays and the footage from trials which is great to see how well newcomers have taken to the jumping game. It's all free as well and once you sign up you can also watch the live action for free as it is also a TV channel in Oz.

Good to get a decent price winner last Sunday at Sale as we move on to a big day at Sandown tomorrow morning. There are 3 jumps races including the Crisp Steeplechase and the Grand National Hurdle.
Race 1 (2.45am)
It is the Crisp Steeplechase that we start off with and it looks a quality renewal. Maher & Eustace have plenty of strength throughout the card and could easily win all 3 races. I am taking them on here though with Social Element who has done us well so far this season. He is 3/3 over fences and took the big race at Pakenham in good style last time. He had Riding High back in 3rd and Ablaze back in 4th that day and although I expect Ablaze to do better here I just wonder if he might need another start to get up to full fitness. He had nothing at the end of the race at Pakenham and although the step up in distance will help, Social Element was hardly stopping and I do think he will improve for the step up in trip as well. Big Blue will come on again after winning the maiden chase at Pakenham which was his first jumps start since last year's Cheltenham Festival. He wouldn't be a surprise winner. Flying Agent has under performed the last twice now, but he will be a big player if able to find his best form again.
Social Element 1pt @ 6/4 with Betfred
Race 4 (4.45am)
Tamarack backs up here after winning for us last week and he was visually impressive after being well backed. It wasn't a strong race though and on the clock Sivar was the more impressive winner at Sale last week when he took out the 0-114 contest. He backed up the promising 2nd to Norway on his hurdles debut and I think he has a chance in this. Mawaany Machine is currently odds on having beaten Karakoram at Pakenham last time. Strictly speaking at these weights Karakoram should reverse the form, but I think the winner had more up his sleeve that day and can withhold the form. I don't think he is any value however so I am happy to take him on. The ex Joseph O'Brien Light Pillar was really impressive on his hurdles debut at Pakenham and his final 600m was nearly 4 seconds quicker than Mawaany Machine. I'm guessing Pateman had the choice, but I think he has chosen wrong as Light Pillar looks a really promising hurdler and impressed me more than Mawaany Machine has this season. I will also cover Sivar as he looks over priced.
Light Pillar 2pts @ 11/4 with Betfred
Sivar 0.5pt @ 9/1 with Betfred
Race 5 (5.25am)
What a race we have for the Grand National Hurdle although the 3 horses in single figures all come from the Maher & Eustace yard. Saunter Boy heads the beating having taken the Australian Hurdle here back in May although this is over another 300m. He did it well that day and you can hardly knock him on what he has done since. He has finished 2nd and 3rd in two good flat race at Flemington and in between he landed the Kevin Lafferty at Warrnambool beating Inayforhay by 7L. He sets a stiff standard, but his stablemates Norway and Wil John have made very promising starts to their hurdle careers. Norway has won both hurdle starts by 10L so far and was really impressive at Pakenham last time. We know he has the flat class from his time in Ireland and Britain and going over hurdles has clearly perked him up as he had lost his way. I am however going to go with the current 3rd choice in the betting Wil John. For me he has been the most impressive winner of the various maiden hurdles this season when he won at the Warrnambool Carnival. He then won on the Flat at Bendigo before bolting up back at Warrnambool last month. The 2nd that day was Karakoram so he has helped frank the form since. He steps up to 4200m for the first time over hurdles, but he finished 3rd over 4600m on the flat last November so this extra trip if anything might see some more improvement. He gets weight from the other two as well and as much as either Saunter Boy or Norway could win, I am going to take Wil John to back up the high regard I hold him in.
Wil John 2pts @ 3/1 with Betfred

I really hope Babytaggle can find a race before the summer is out. Ran another cracker to finish 2nd again and the form of his first 2nd was franked with the winner going in again today despite going up massively in the weights. At the very least it is good to see that my thinking he ran a hell of a race at Huntingdon back in May has turned out to be profitable when he went back into handicaps.