Today's Tote Placepot Tips for Bangor-On-Dee

Leg 1 Selections: Knight In Dubai, Hollywoodien

KNIGHT IN DUBAI is lightly raced in recent years due to some minor issues and was quite disappointing when last seen at Ascot but he won easily on his only previous visit here over course-and-distance on heavy ground back in 2019 and that was on his return after a fairly lengthy absence. He clearly goes well fresh, will love conditions and has fallen to an attractive mark, so if he can put it all together, he could be too good for these. 

Nico De Boinville has his only ride on the card in the shape of HOLLYWOODIEN, who’s a very good front-runner on his day and is well-treated on his best form. He’s effectively nine pounds below his last winning mark, has gone well on various occasions on similar ground and jumps well too. He could easily make a bold effort on his return with plenty in his favour here. 

Leg 2 Selections: Galia Des Liteaux, Her Indoors

Dan Skelton’s GALIA DES LITEAUX returned a very impressive winner on her hurdles debut in soft/heavy ground in which she easily brushed aside a subsequent Listed winner. She’s been beaten twice since but has ran well on each occasion, including when third at Perth last time. Dan Skelton clearly wastes no time in sending her straight over fences and although this trip might be on the sharp side, she should get a good pace to aim at and could be a big player on her chase debut here. 

While her pedigree doesn’t scream chaser, Alan King’s HER INDOORS still has to be respected here. She bagged Grade Three and Listed wins over hurdles and ran well when third last time back at Cheltenham in a Listed race. She should be suited to the drop in trip with the likes of Found On expected to go forward and the heavy ground won’t inconvenience her either. Alan King has trained the winner of this race for the last two year’s and has an overall record of 2211 in the race, so knows what it takes, and it would be no surprise to see this mare go well on her chase debut. 

Leg 3 Selections: La Cavsa Nostra 

This is a really difficult race to solve but the Neil Mulholland-trained LA CAVSA NOSTRA has won three of his six chase starts and this lightly raced ten-year-old sneaks into this race off a really low-weight with Tom Scudamore in the saddle. He’s won after a break in the past, so fitness will be of no concern, and back in 2019/20, he beat Lord Du Mesnil by over two lengths when giving the winner a pound. 

He meets that rival on twenty-one pounds better terms here under similar conditions, while the application of first-time cheekpieces will be applied too. Getting weight from all his rivals, with a 50% strike-rate in this sphere and possibly more to come, he could easily exceed market expectations and supplement his latest Hereford success with another big performance here. 

Leg 4 Selections: Our Follet 

None of the quartet can be ruled out given all four make their hurdles debut but OUR FOLLET has a really nice pedigree and is related to a Listed winner in France, so could be ready for the task ahead here. Interestingly, the champion jockey Brian Hughes has been booked to ride, so a big run is anticipated for a stable who have made a flying start to the campaign. 

Leg 5 Selections: Hunters Call, Mayhem Mya 

A lot of these have sound claims, including the undefeated Lady Adare. However, from a value perspective, the top-weight HUNTERS CALL shouldn’t be taken lightly despite his advancing years. The twelve-year-old seeks back-to-back victories in the race, who bolted up twelve months ago by nine-lengths and is only four pounds higher this time around. 

Lewis Stones’ claim of four pounds effectively sees this high-class veteran off the exact same mark as last year and the last time he ran on heavyish ground, he finished fourth in the 2020 Greatwood Hurdle at Cheltenham. Olly Murphy’s team are in great form too, so with this race likely to have been his early-season target again, the class act in the field appeals most at the odds. 

Georges Saint is interesting at the foot of the weights too but I feel as though MAYHEM MYA has the stronger substance of form and will love conditions here. She needs to learn to settle better but she takes a massive drop in grade from when midfield in a Grade Two at the Cheltenham Festival and makes her seasonal/handicap debut off a lenient mark.

The addition of recent wind surgery should also prove effective. She ran well when fourth on her return in a bumper at Cheltenham last year and won impressively on her debut at Warwick, so fitness won’t be an issue and she’s undeniably seen to best effect when there’s rain about too. Off a really attractive mark of 117, Chris Honours’ mare has a decent chance here. 

Leg 6 Selections: Basford

An interesting race but BASFORD shaped with lots of promise when fourth on hurdles debut over course-and-distance two weeks ago and should be able to better that form with that run under his belt. He won debut in a soft-ground bumper at Carlisle and then ran well when third behind two subsequent winners on soft/heavy ground at Wetherby next time. With plenty more to come, the five-year-old should be thereabouts.