Tix Picks, Thursday 28/11/24

Thursday's racing comes from Lingfield, Musselburgh, Taunton and Thurles.
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Today's pools

Today's meetings, pools and minimum guarantees are as follows, including a £50,000 placepot guarantee at Taunton...

Taunton looks a bit novice-heavy for my liking, so let's head to Lingfield and some soft ground for six races starting with...

Leg 1 @ 12.35... (1) Chankaya probably needed the run at Uttoxeter four weeks ago when only 10th of 11 on his debut for Tim Vaughan, having ended last season eight months earlier with a win at Taunton. Should put up a better show 2lbs and one class lower and with the benefit of having had a recent run. (3) Just Chasing May looks like a horse on the up and has finished as a runner-up in both races this term since coming back from a 130-day break that followed his five length win at Uttoxeter in mid-June and he looks the one to beat here.

(5) Twp Stori is another who probably needed to pipes clearing out when running for the first time on over five months at Uttoxeter six weeks ago. That time he was a creditable 5th of 14, beaten by 8 lengths over an inadequately short 2 mile trip. Prior to thar break/run, he had finished 3212 over longer trips. he stays 3m2f, he gets soft/heavy ground and runs off the same mark as when second at Uttoxeter over 3m on his penultimate outing. (8) Getaway With You completes my shortlist here, despite being a 13-race maiden over hurdles. The truth is that he flopped when sent off as the 3/1 favourite in a 14-runner handicap over 3m1½f at Huntingdon at the start of the month, finishing 8th, 21 lengths adrift of the winner, but his previous form had read 3262 and he's down in trip here.

That said, Getaway With You makes the least appeal of the four and I'm going with (3) Just Chasing May & (5) Twp Story with (1) Chankaya my alternate.

Leg 2 @ 1.10...I was really interested in Plantaroma when I had a cursory look at the card last night, but she's a non-runner now, effectively making this all about the hat-trick seeking (5) Jasmine Bliss, who comes here after a soft ground Class 4 bumper win and another on heavy ground at Class 2 last time out. We'll assume she can jump (Harry Derham is no mug), so the only possible issue is her fitness after nine months off.

(9) Solid Silver is probably the one most likely to challenge of those with racecourse experience, also on hurdles debut. She made the frame in a Listed bumper almost a year ago and was in the frame in back to back 2m A/W handicaps this summer and was only beaten by a length and a half here at Lingfield over 2m last time out, albeit on the polytrack. Like the main pick, we take a chance on her jumping, but she possesses decent ground speed

We should also take a newcomer and the eye catcher is (10) Holloway Queen who was a runner-up in her sole PTP race, beaten by just a length at Monks Grange. She was then sold for the thick end of 200,000 Euro and when you see the names De Boinville & Henderson, there's always a chance and she might well be better than Solid Silver!

Leg 3 @ 1.45...This isn't a strong race by any means and despite an 8lb rise, top weight (1) Vision De Maine should be the one to beat, as he comes here seeking a hat-trick after winning over 3m at Uttoxeter on his chase debut six weeks ago despite coming off a six month break before a course and distance success here sixteen days ago. (2) Airtothethrone has only won one of thirteen over fences, but generally tends to be there or thereabouts, finishing 42F4F2324 since the start of March '23, mainly at trips similar to today (but does stay 3m3f) and mainly at Class 4 (so he drops in class here). he handles soft ground well enough and could well be in the mix once more today.

(4) Aworkinprogress also comes here on a hat-trick after a pair of heavy ground successes over 2m6f/2m7f. He won a Class 4 handicap hurdle at the end of March at Fontwell, then had 205 days off before scoring on his chase debut at Stratford almost six weeks ago and I fully expect him to go well again here. (5) Camulus completes my shortlist and he's another with a poor record from a win perspective, coming here at 0/1 in bumpers, 0/4 over hurdles and 0/4 over fences, but he was third on chase debut at Fakenham in February 2023 and a runner-up here over course and distance off the back of a year off in February this year. he gets soft/heavy ground, he gets today's trip and his 266 days off are shorter than the last long break he had! Throw in a couple of paced efforts over hurdles and there's a chance, albeit small, that he's involved here today.

Of those four above, Camulus is probably the one I should omit, leaving me with (1) Vision De Maine, (4) Aworkinprogress & (2) Airtothethrone as my 1-2-3.

Leg 4 @ 2.20...(2) Nachtgeist made the frame on the Flat in a Group 2 race at Cologne in June 2023 and was a runner-up over hurdles at Huntingdon in early October. Didn't go quite as well at Ascot last time out, but this race shouldn't take much winning and he was a runner-up at Plumpton in a 2-mile hurdle on soft ground in January, so the underfoot conditions shouldn't be an issue. (2) Speiriuil probably needed the run when only 7th of 18 at Chepstow three weeks ago, coming off the back of a six month absence. He's entitled to come on for having had the run and when you consider that his other five appearances resulted in finishes of 32242 on mainly soft and/or heavy ground, you'd have to expect him to enjoy this one.

(6) Stardhem was a nose ahead of Speiriuil in that race at Chepstow, as he made his handicap debut after an absence of 201 days. He should also improve for having had that run and the benefit of handicap experience and Ben Pauling's runners always command respect, especially here at Lingfield where his handicap hurdlers have finished 181121. Stardhem is 2lbs better off with Speiriuil today and although his form line doesn't scream winner, there's no reason why he can't confirm the placings with that slight weight advantage.

(7) The Cox Express is probably the one most likely to challenge the trio above, but he's going to have to step up a long way from last time out, when he too ran in that afore-mentioned race at Chepstow 22 days ago, finishing just 11th of 18 and 33 lengths further back than Speiriuil. That said, he had been off the track for six months and did make the frame in three of his last four runs last spring. he has gone well in the mud previously, but I think he's going to need things to fall his way to make the first three home today, so I'm with (6) Stardhem, (2) Nachtgeist & (2) Speiriuil.

Leg 5 @ 2.55...This one has fallen apart somewhat with five of the original fourteen runners now not lining up. The ones I'd be most interested here would be (2) De Kingpin and (6) Miller Spirit

De Kingpin drops in class here after a decent effort at Sandown on hurdles debut 18 days ago, finishing 3rd of 8, beaten by just a length and a half some 252 days after a runner-up finish on race debut in a heavy ground Doncaster bumper. I mentioned Ben Pauling's Lingfield hurdlers earlier and I'd expect this one to be on the premises too.

The main danger should come from Miller Spirit on his hurdling debut. Ground speed won't be an issue for a 4yo whose form on the Flat over the last six months reads 114241116 with that last defeat not as bad as it seems with it being the 23-runner, Class 2, November handicap at Doncaster where he was beaten by less than three lengths 19 days ago. He's clearly fit, his last five runs have been on soft or heavy ground and his yard won this race in 2022.

Elsewhere there's little appeal, so I'll just take these two.

Leg 6 @ 3.30...And the finale has been decimated too with only 8 of 15 going to post and the one I was most interested in (Dromlac Jury) is one of the withdrawal. Another of my overnight shortlist, Ascension Day, also won't run here, so I'm left with just three of my 'originals', namely (4) Barest Of Margins, (5) Hokelami & (6) Superstylin, so I'll be taking this trio.

Barest of Margins is a perennial placer despite being an 11-race (2 x NHF, 2 x hrds & 7 x chase) maiden. He has failed to complete twice, but his other nine races have seen him finish 24 in bumpers, 33 over hurdles and 22232 over fences. he was only beaten by two lengths last time out, headed in the last half of seventeen furlongs, so the drop in trip should help here off the same mark.

Hokelami looked like needing a run when 5th of 8 at Ffos Las last month off the back of a 202-day absence, but he had won two of his four handicap chases this year prior to his break, including a nine lengths success over 2m1f at Sedgefield on soft ground in March. He is, admittedly, still 5lbs higher than that win and has every right/chance of bouncing back into the frame here, but the one to beat is possibly/probably Superstylin.

Superstylin actually won this race last year by 4.5 lengths on his chase debut. He was then rested for three months before racing three times inside four weeks last March finishing 323 with the first two on soft ground. If he returns in the same vein after an eight month break, he's be the one to beat for me with my 1-2-3 reading (6) Superstylin, (4) Barest Of Margins & (5) Hokelami

*

All of which gives me...

Leg 1: (3) Just Chasing May, (5) Twp Story & (1) Chankaya

Leg 2: (5) Jasmine Bliss, (10) Holloway Queen & (9) Solid Silver

Leg 3: (1) Vision De Maine, (4) Aworkinprogress & (2) Airtothethrone

Leg 4: (6) Stardhem, (2) Nachtgeist & (4) Speiriuil

Leg 5: (2) De Kingpin & (6) Miller Spirit

Leg 6: (6) Superstylin, (4) Barest Of Margins & (5) Hokelami

...and here's how I'd play them, whilst trying to stay close to a nominal £20 total stake...

Good Luck, everyone!
Note : I'm off tomorrow (out tonight!), so I'll be back on Saturday.
Chris

Other Recent Posts by This Author:

• Tix Picks, Tuesday 03/12/24
• Tix Picks, Monday 02/12/24
• Tix Picks, Saturday 30/11/24
• Tix Picks, Wednesday 27/11/24
• Tix Picks, Tuesday 26/11/24