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12:40 Exeter

Toby Balding Novices' Hurdle (Class D )

  • 18 Runners
  • Distance: 2m 3f
  • Going: Good, Good to Soft in places
Weighed In
  • Winning Time: 4m 39.90s
  • 18 Ran
2
Silk -
3
Silk -
1
Silk - Sky Blue and Scarlet diamonds, Sky Blue sleeves, Scarlet cap
  • Form 623/31
  • Age 8
  • Weight 11-4
  • Official Rating 127

prominent, ridden 7th, one pace from 3 out

2
Silk - Light blue, red sash, royal blue sleeves, white armlets, white cap, royal blue diamond

Beehawk

263
100/1
  • Form 0-
  • Age 5
  • Weight 10-12

held up towards rear, ridden 7th, weakened approaching 3 out

3
Silk - Dark Green, Orange Cross of Lorraine, Orange cap

Debatable

537
33/1
  • Form 1-
  • Age 5
  • Weight 10-12

in touch, ridden 7th, soon weakened, pulled up before 3 out

4
Silk - White, Light Blue epaulets, Maroon sleeves, Light Blue cap
  • Form 1-
  • Age 5
  • Weight 10-12

prominent, reminders 4th, weakened before 7th, pulled up before 3 out

5
Silk - Dark Blue, Light Blue seams, armlets and star on cap
  • Form FR10-0
  • Age 5
  • Weight 10-12

held up in mid-division, ridden 6th, soon weakened, pulled up before 2 out

6
Silk - Dark Blue, Light Blue hoop, checked sleeves and cap
  • Age 4
  • Weight 10-12

led to 3rd, headway after 6th, led bend approaching 3 out, ridden approaching last, edged right flat, readily

7
Silk - White and Black (halved horizontally), check cap, Yellow sleeves
200/1
  • Form P
  • Age 6
  • Weight 10-12

prominent, lost touch before 5th, pulled up before 6th

8
Silk - Light blue, white sleeves, red cap, light blue star
150/1
  • Form 0-
  • Age 5
  • Weight 10-12

always behind, pulled up after 6th

9
Silk - Royal Blue, Emerald Green hoops, Emerald Green sleeves, White cap
16/1
  • Form 00-22
  • Age 5
  • Weight 10-12

in touch, ridden after 7th, stayed to go distance 3rd approaching last

10
Silk - Royal Blue and Yellow stripes, White sleeves
  • Form P1-1
  • Age 4
  • Weight 10-12

prominent, headway after 5th and chased leaders, ridden approaching 7th, one pace

11
Silk - MAROON and RED check, RED sleeves and cap
  • Form 501-26
  • Age 5
  • Weight 10-12

held up in touch, ridden 5th, weakened before 7th

12
Silk - Royal Blue, White hollow box, halved sleeves
  • Age 5
  • Weight 10-12

led after 3rd, clear after 4th, hit 7th, stayed on same pace from 3 out

13
Silk - White, Royal Blue epaulets, White sleeves, Red spots, Royal Blue cap
  • Form 30
  • Age 4
  • Weight 10-12

mid-division, some headway 3 out, weakened approaching 2 out

14
Silk - Red, Purple star and star on cap
11/4
  • Form 111-3
  • Age 4
  • Weight 10-12

held up mid-division, headway after 7th, ridden approaching 3 out and chased winner, stayed on well from 2 out, not pace of winner

15
Silk - ROYAL BLUE, EMERALD GREEN sleeves, WHITE cap, EMERALD GREEN spots
  • Age 5
  • Weight 10-12

held up last, jumped slowly and lost touch 4th, no impression

16
Silk - Royal Blue, White sleeves, Dark Blue armlets, Dark Blue and White quartered cap
200/1
  • Age 5
  • Weight 10-5

held up towards rear, ridden after 6th, soon weakened, pulled up before 3 out

17
Silk - Eton Blue, Cherry hooped sleeves, quartered cap
  • Form P0/P61-
  • Age 7
  • Weight 10-5

held up in mid-division, ridden 6th, soon weakened

18
Silk - Black and Orange (quartered), Black sleeves, Orange seams and cap
250/1
  • Form 00
  • Age 5
  • Weight 10-5

mid-division, ridden and behind from 4th, held off

In depth

Verdict

Sandown winner Murphy's Quest sets a decent standard in this novices' hurdle but the Lady Herries-trained gelding may struggle to follow up under his penalty and preference is for Morson Boy, who gets the vote ahead of both Secret Ploy and Gold Medallist. The last mentioned was a decent stayer on the flat with David Elsworth and is an interesting recruit to the novice hurdling ranks but may want a stiffer test of stamina and has yet to prove his effectiveness over timber. With Jonathan Geake having been Toby Balding's assistant before taking over his licence, Keltic Rock is bound to be popular but needs to step up on the form of course seconds in a bumper and over hurdles to win this. Martin Pipe's Yes My Lord cannot be ruled out lightly given his connections but faces no easy task on his rules debut and of greater interest is Hugh Morrison's Secret Ploy. A triple bumper winner, he lost no caste in defeat on his hurdling debut at Newbury last month and should have learned from that effort. Henrietta Knight's Ludlow winner King Killone and fellow bumper scorers Debatable and Gaelic Music are others to consider in a competitive contest but the vote goes to Morson Boy. Admittedly the Paul Nicholls-trained gelding has been well beaten in both his starts over hurdles since moving from Mark Johnston's stable but they were in hot races and the four-year-old was not given the most energetic of rides by Ruby Walsh at Newbury last time. The son of Lear Fan should have come on a bundle for those two starts and is taken to show the necessary improvement to win this.