Andy Holding is back with two tips for today's action.
15:05 Exeter
FAVOUR AND FORTUNE (best price 15/8) could probably do with better ground to be at his absolute best, but he’s still performed well enough at a high level under similar conditions than he faces here today and at the morning odds, he appears overpriced for what he’s achieved compared to his rivals.
Not mature enough for last season’s Champion Bumper at the Cheltenham Festival, Alan King’s gelding has since embarked on a successful hurdling campaign and other than the persistence of Jango Baie at Aintree last time out, he would already be a Grade 1 winner in his new discipline.
In what can only be described as brutal conditions at the Merseyside venue, the son of Soldier Of Fortune travelled as well as anything throughout and when Farren Glory departed the scene two out, he looked the likeliest winner. Unfortunately, he just didn’t the race out as well as Nicky Henderson’s inmate, but he did finish well clear of the rest and with the time figure speaking favourably of his performance and both the winner and fourth boosting the form since, he appears to have solid credentials dropping back down top listed level.
Obviously, the presence of the Willie Mullins-trained mare, Fun Fun Fun, poses a problem in their bid to head towards the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle with a victory under their belts but if he is to justify his place in the line-up at Cheltenham next month, he really needs to be winning or pushing the favourite hard at the very least.
15:35 Exeter
HITITI (best price 13/2) has been knocking at the door all season and with his latest effort at Plumpton ranking as a career high, Robert Walford’s inmate has a better chance than his morning odds imply of adding to his medal collection.
Just run out of the argument at Sandown previously, the son of Great Pretender attempted to go one place better in a similar race at the Surrey venue a month later and if it wasn’t for the heroics of the winning pilot, Joe Anderson, he would have gained his due rewards.
That said, despite beaten on merit on the day, the numbers from that contest 35 days pointed out the first three home were operating at a fair level and with two of them going to boost the form subsequently, the seven-year-old is strongly fancied to follow suit at a track where his form figures read 1341.
