Andrew Asquith returns to the hot-seat with his best bets from around the tracks on a busy Saturday.
This is a competitive handicap and Nicky Henderson is mob-handed, running four, but the one who looks overpriced to me is GENTLE SLOPES, who will be having just his second start for the yard.
A point winner who reached a near-smart level of form in bumpers for Milton Harris (won two of his three starts in that sphere), he also shaped well in two efforts over hurdles for that yard, and was well supported when making a winning debut for Henderson in a novices’ hurdle over two miles at Kempton in January.
That was his first start for a year and he impressed with how he jumped and travelled through that contest, and he displayed a cracking attitude at the finish to fight back and just have his nose in front on the line.
The form of that race has worked out well, too, the second and third both winning next time, while the majority of those further down the field have all won subsequently. He is a good-looking gelding who makes his seasonal reappearance with an unexposed profile, and an opening mark of 121 for his handicap debut could be very lenient indeed.
Gentle Slopes moves back up to two and a half miles, and given his background in points, along with the stamina in his pedigree, he should be even better over this longer trip, while he also has a positive record when fresh.
There are some interesting types in this relatively valuable novices’ hurdle and ZANNDABAD has to be high on the shortlist now returning to this sphere.
He ran a cracker when beaten a length in the Chester Cup earlier in the year from a BHA mark of 92 and he hasn’t been disgraced at Royal Ascot and in the Irish Cesarewitch on his last two starts on the Flat.
That is useful form and, while he is yet to translate it to hurdles, he has some good efforts to his name, last seen finishing runner-up at Ascot in a decent field in March. He looked the likeliest winner on that occasion – he traded at 1.05 in-running on Betfair – only to be headed on the run-in by one coming from further back.
Zanndabad stays very well on the Flat, while he also has a liking for good ground, so this longer trip at this flat, galloping track should play to his strengths, and it’s worth noting that Tony Martin is in excellent form at present.
This will be just his second runner over jumps at Newcastle and it would be folly to ignore his claims given his flat rating up against these rivals on these terms.
YELLOW CAR won a maiden point in May and overcame lingering greenness to also make a winning start under Rules in a maiden hurdle at Newton Abbot in July.
He beat a couple of next-time-out winners on that occasion, and did so in comfortable fashion, but he was no match for a Paul Nicholls-trained hotpot on his next start at Stratford.
However, he did beat the remainder very convincingly and quickly resumed winning ways at Fontwell in November, overturning the form with his Stratford conqueror with a bit of style.
Yellow Car confirmed himself a progressive sort that day, displaying a good attitude to assert on the run-in and it appears that the handicapper has taken a bit of a chance with his opening mark of 124. He clearly handles good ground well and with the prospect of even more to come he looks very interesting once again for a yard that continue in good form.
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