It's Somerset National day down at Wincanton and luckily there is no inspection in sight for a change!
14:00, 90 January & February Hospitality Offer Handicap Hurdle
Another Fine Mess 8/1, 1pt each-way (5 places)
This is a nice big wide open 18 runner handicap hurdle and it's 9/2 the field. St Lukes Chelsea looks set to go off favourite off the back of finishing second at Fontwell last time out. A mark of 98 looks appealing but the horse that beat him ran poorly at Newbury today which tempers enthusiasm. Instead, I like the chances of top weight Another Fine Mess at bigger odds. Jeremy Scott's 6 year old ran really well in his 2 bumpers at the back end of 2023 before going into maiden hurdles in early 2024. He finished 7th of 16 runners on hurdling debut at Newbury a year ago but it's worth noting that the race was won by subsequent Greatwood Hurdle runner up Be Aware with Gerry Fielden victor Navajo Indy in 2nd. It's fair to say that was a tall order and faces much, much inferior opposition here. He wasn't himself when sent off just 4/1 on his final run of last season and had wind surgery in the summer. He ran just OK on seasonal debut 30 days ago when finishing a well held 4th at this course but there was a 1/5 favourite in the race, who won well, and this will be more his bag on handicap debut. A mark of 100 looks fair and if he steps up on his debut run he could begin to start making his mark.
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15:10, Thank You White Horse Hinton Team Handicap Hurdle
Grozni 18/1 (Bet365), 1pt each-way (4 places)
This 3 mile handicap hurdle is also wide open. It's 7/2 the field here with every runner in the race having some questions to answer. I think Grozni is worth a chance to follow up his success at Wetherby 21 days ago. He's back up to a mark of 130 but he has shown enough in his career to suggest he's up to defying it. Back when trained in Ireland by Charles Byrne's he was competing in much more competitive races than this, albeit from lower marks, and he finished 2nd in a 17 runner affair at the Dublin Racing Festival in February 2023. He failed to hit the mark in chases for current connections since coming over to England but bounced right back to form over these obstacles last time out over a slightly shorter trip. This step back up in distance holds no fears and I think he'll enjoy the slightly better ground, as he did last time out. Trainer James Owen has already had 5 winners so far this year and I hope Grozni can make that 6.
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