Simply Delicious Open Hunters' Chase

5YO plus | Class 5 | 2m 7f 171y | 4 Runners | Turf

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Selected odds by:

Bardenstown Lad¹⁸

Age: 10| Weight: 12-6| J: Mr James King| T: Mrs S Loughnane| OR: 135| D

15/8

Winner of a handicap hurdle and maiden chase for Gavin Cromwell at Kilbeggan in 2024. Won't be found wanting fitness-wise following a couple of spins between the flags last month but likely to have his work cut out here against Jet Plane and Eva's Oskar, if those rivals are on-song.

Form: 611P32

Jet Plane^t²⁰

Age: 9| Weight: 12-6| J: Miss Heidi Palin⁽⁵⁾| T: D Skelton| OR: 133| C

13/8

Back-to-back winner of handicap chases at Sandown and Market Rasen last spring, and positive start to this season when third of 8 at Wetherby in October. Shouldn't be judged too harshly on latest effort at Kempton during the Christmas period and he's a key player on this hunter debut.

Form: 11P-3U7

Eva's Oskar^t,v⁴⁶⁰

Age: 11| Weight: 11-12| J: Mr Edward Vaughan⁽⁵⁾| T: Tim Vaughan| OR: 134| D

7/4

Likeable chaser who landed a valuable Cheltenham handicap a couple of seasons back. Didn't shape badly at Chepstow on his sole appearance last term and will prove a tough nut to crack now pitched into a hunter chase if anywhere near his best following a 15-month absence.

Form: 2164U/4-

Solomon Grey^t²³⁰

Age: 13| Weight: 11-12| J: Mr Toby McCain-Mitchell⁽⁵⁾| T: Miss V Collins| OR: 109| CD

20/1

Back-to-back hunter winner in April 2022 but hasn't tasted success since and this 13-y-o is opposable.

Form: 2333-36

Forecasts

Eva's Oskar (13/8), Bardenstown Lad (2/1), Jet Plane (9/4), Solomon Grey (14/1)

EVA'S OSKAR's record when fresh is pretty decent and while he probably needs a stiffer test than this nowadays, the 11-y-o should outclass these if resuming from a break in good order. Jet Plane is readily preferred to Irish import Bardenstown Lad for forecast purposes.