Hexham, Saturday 2 May: Tips and Selections

Hexham, Saturday 2 May: Tips and Selections

Hexham's undulating circuit rewards tough, galloping types and the good ground today suits horses with a clean jumping record who can travel strongly over the northern fells. Eight races on the card with a mix of novice chase action, handicap hurdles, and maiden hurdle divisions. The meeting has a local flavour but there are some recognisable yards sending runners north, and a couple of angles worth exploiting at decent prices.

5:15 — Bobby Roberts Memorial Maiden Hurdle (GBB Race) Div I

Selection: Crest Of Arms (13/8, BetWright/Dragon Bet)

Anthony Honeyball has been firing on all cylinders with 3 winners from 12 runners in the last 14 days, which is a strike rate that demands attention on any horse he sends out. Crest Of Arms is a 4-year-old with a form line that reads 77P on the hurdles, which at first glance looks unimpressive, but maiden hurdles at this level are won by horses with potential rather than proven form, and a well-bred youngster from Honeyball's yard going to Hexham on good ground in a 10-runner maiden is a completely different proposition to whatever those figures were achieved against.

Sam Twiston-Davies is in the saddle for Passing Diamond, the 9/2 shot, and he's a class act, but Crackalackin at 10/3 with an RPR of 113 is the one giving Crest Of Arms the most to think about. That RPR suggests Crackalackin has real ability, based off a single hurdles run, but Honeyball's yard form tilts the scales. Crest Of Arms at 13/8 is a fair price for a horse from a hot stable and this looks the right race to open the account.

6:15 — Max And Naomi Are Getting Married Novices' Limited Handicap Chase

Selection: Moonshine Man (6/1, Bet365)

Five runners, small field, but Moonshine Man catches the eye here at 6/1 and the RPR of 139 stands out head and shoulders in this company. His top speed figure of 124 also tells you this horse has run to a high level on his day. The form line of 2P243 is consistent enough for a chaser at this stage of development, and the good ground at Hexham is the key angle: this is a horse who wants decent conditions rather than soft.

Sonigino is the 7/4 market leader from Paul Nicholls, who has managed 4 winners from 24 runners in the last two weeks, a modest return for that yard. The RPR of 137 is strong but Moonshine Man's 139 beats it, and at more than three times the price, the value is clear. Brendan Powell takes the ride, a competent northern jockey who knows this track. At 6/1, this is a horse running off an RPR that arguably makes him the form pick regardless of the market, and Henrietta Knight has sent him a long way from her Wiltshire base, which usually means they mean business.

6:45 — mybettingsites.com Handicap Hurdle

Selection: Double Digits Each-Way (11/2, William Hill)

The 2m handicap hurdle is the most competitive race on the card. Filibustering at 6/4 is the obvious market leader and the form is solid, last time out winner with an RPR of 124, but 6/4 in a 7-runner handicap hurdle is a short enough price to look elsewhere for value.

Double Digits catches the eye at 11/2 with Danny McMenamin aboard. The RPR of 124 matches Filibustering exactly, and a top speed figure of 124 is the joint highest in the race alongside Marhaba Prince. The form reads 74124, which shows a horse who has been placed consistently and won recently enough to suggest he's in good nick. Ann Hamilton's yard has had a quiet recent spell, but that statistic is partly a function of low runners rather than form problems, and McMenamin is a sharp northern jockey who rides this track well.

The 3-place each-way terms at 1/5 odds in a 7-runner field means you need to land in the top three, which is very achievable for a horse with this RPR profile. At 11/2 each-way, the return on a placed result is attractive and the win price represents genuine value over the market leader.

Today's NAP