The team return with two selections over jumps at Hereford…
Whilst current market leader Ebony Warrior has the advantage of race fitness, Paul Nicholls' Just Lucky Sivola is capable of overturning the favourite in the 2m3½f Brightwells Ltd Novices' Hurdle (12:15).
A winner of a bumper at Southwell last November, the gelding was well-beaten into midfield in a Huntingdon bumper on his sole subsequent start in the sphere. He returned to make a positive hurdling debut at Plumpton earlier this month, demonstrating a good attitude when finishing only a neck behind odds-on favourite Prince Imperial.
The Nicholls-trained runners tend to come forward for their seasonal reappearance and we may not have seen the best of this five-year-old yet, a half-brother to a Graded performer in France.
WIN – JUST LUCKY SIVOLA – 11/4
In the 3m1f Alpha Aggregates Handicap Chase (14:00), Faded Fantasy has been well-supported in the market and can capitalise on a strong recent run over course and distance.
The Christian Williams-trained gelding has been an inconsistent character over hurdles in recent seasons, recording only one victory from nineteen attempts, but the recent switch to fences seemed to revitalise the five-year-old. He made his chasing debut in a track and trip event in mid-November, finishing a strong neck second despite pecking on landing over the last fence.
The application of first-time cheekpieces should help correct his tendency to jump right-handed and it would appear that Faded Fantasy's current mark of 94 over fences (the same as his hurdles rating) could be lenient.
WIN – FADED FANTASY – 6/1
