2.35 Lingfield: Class 2 Handicap, 1m
Miracle Of Medinah: Group 3 winning juvenile, disappointing last year, though was placed in Listed event once. Won on AW as 2yo, now step up to mile needs to bring out improvement. Not unlikely to get trip but looks on high enough mark.
Tigers Tale: Progressive on the All-Weather. Won couple of times last season and ended year with fine runner-up over CD. Fair & square beaten that day though and career highest required.
Steelriver: Fine second lto at Kempton over 7f. Career highest required. Has never won over 1m in nine attempts. Though once second over 10f.
Melvin The Grate: Improving sort, won well with plenty in hand lto over CD. Up 7lb in the mark, career highest required.
Beach Bar: Still lightly raced, progressive gelding. Unlucky over CD lto when beaten on the line while attempting to make all. Allowed to race off same mark.
Claim The Roses: Lightly raced and progressive on AW. Winner of two races, yet to win beyond 6f but strong staying 2nd over 7f. Decent return to track at Southwell lto. New trip may bring out improvement.
Lunar Deity: Progressive on AW. Won last two and neck beaten lto. 1lb out off handicap & steep step up in grade. But may have still more to offer on this surface. Likely up with pace.
Verdict: Tricky race, despite a clear favourite at the head of the market. Melvin The Grate is rightly very popular with punters given his progressive form and strong recent course and distance win. Seven pounts up for that looks fair and it wouldn't surprise to see him go close again. But he is a short enough price in a race that is by no means only about one horse. Beach Bar currently 5/1 is a very interesting alternative. Still lightly raced, he is the winner of a maiden and a narrowly beaten runner-up on the All-Weather in two starts, both over course and distance here at Lingfield. When last seen he had his own way up on front and pulled out more when heavily under pressure in the home straight. Though an exciting handicap debutant got the better of him in the final strides. Beach Bar gets a chance from the handicapper to race off the same mark again and while this represents a step up in class today, he may still be able to improve again and must rate a big danger to the favourite with his profile and weight. Lunar Deity is one pound out off the weights but has a fair chance to run big as the bottom weight after a narrow defeat at Chelmsford last weekend. He is probably right up with the pace and if he can transfer his fine All-Weather profile into this better grade, he'll be thereabouts. The three top rated horses (bar the favourite) look all likely to be found out on their current handicap mark, however good runs for Miracle Of Medinah and Tigers Tale wouldn't surprise.
Still completely unexposed over this trip is the lightly raced Claim The Roses. He hasn't excelled on turf at all, but has been progressive on the All-Weather. A fine winner at Kempton over 6f and an eye-catching runner-up over 7f subsequently in autumn 2013 proved that he is talented. However he clearly had problems afterwards, with only one run since then last summer with another break until back at Southwell towards the end of December last month. Then dropped back to 6f he ran well enough considering the little racing he had for a while as well as for his fibresand debut and that may set him up well for today. Stepping up to 1m, a trip he has never tried before, however something that looks not unlikely to suit on pedigree. Worth a try at a big price for me.
Beach Bar @ 5/1 William Hill - 5pts win
Claim The Roses @20/1 Ladbrokes - 5pts win
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