The Sky Sports Racing cameras head to Southwell,. Plumpton and Wolverhampton for a busy Monday of action.
12.22 Southwell – Bad looks to open account over fences
The Ben Pauling-trained Bad has always been held in high regard since his juvenile hurdling days in France and has done well since going chasing this season, finishing second and third in Ascot novice chases. His sights are slightly lowered for this today and drops into a lower-class Southwell Golf Club Handicap Chase with Ben Jones taking the ride again. If his ungamely head carriage doesn’t hinder him, he will be in the winner’s enclosure for the first time in Britain today.
Dan Skelton is triple handed in this with Benny’s King, Real Stone and Salamanca Bay with Harry Skelton choosing to ride Real Stone who he had a real affection for last season when winning impressively. No Ris Des Flos is an interesting runner for an in-form team in Olly Murphy & Sean Bowen.
12.40 Plumpton – Epic West and Touquet set to carry penalty
Jamie Snowden seems to have a good team of novice hurdlers this season and Epic West fits into that bracket. He was bought from the point-to-point field and made a nice debut up at Carlisle when scoring by seven lengths. He found generously up the Carlisle hill and will be dangerous on the front end today in this Dawson Hart Gallop Novices’ Hurdle.
Touquet was a course and distance winner on hurdling debut and was tried in deeper waters at Ascot when found out up in trip. He returns down to two miles for Paul Nicholls today and will surely return to form after that disappointment. Andashan has two good bumper runs to his name, winning well at Kempton before finishing third behind a smart Nicholls horse. If taking to hurdles he will be dangerous.
2.10 Plumpton – Lady Balko looks to remain unbeaten over course and distance
Lady Balko got under way when winning for the first time over fences last time out over course and distance and looks to follow up her. She made all on the front end and despite a few novicey errors on her way round found plenty to win well. David Pipe gave her a similar hurdling campaign last season and she thrived on racing.
Village Master returned after a break disappointingly last time but had gone a winning sequence of five wins in a row for Warren Greatrex. He returns for this G.E.White & Sons Agricultural Buildings Handicap Chase, and will be looking to get back on track today.
Northern Poet was last seen finishing second to the veteran Copperhead and has had wind surgery since.
Best of the rest
Cool Palmer is in Fergal O’Brien’s starting line-up for the first time in the 12.52pm at Southwell, alongside a plethora of other debutants. Experience may pay dividends for North Of Richmond, who scored last time out for Alex Hales.
Over at Plumpton, Dubrovnik Harry and Sea Invasion go head-to-head in a Novices’ Handicap Chase at 1.10pm, before Bold Recruit looks to shed his maiden tag at 1.40pm with Gavin Sheehan booked.
Back at Southwell, Crazierthandaisy looks to win over hurdles for the first time at 2.22pm prior to Magical Arthur making his bid for a hat-trick an hour later.
At Wolverhampton, John and Thady Gosden field the interesting Java Raja.
