2.05pm Exeter Tips & Betting Preview 17/01/2017

The expanding race program for mares is proving to be popular with more races scheduled than ever. Exeter have been rewarded with a field of 9 for a tidy looking two mile handicap hurdle on Tuesday. Read on for our runner by runner race preview as well as our expert tip.

IN SUMMARY: Bobble Boru has plenty going for her with regards to conditions and recent form. She deservedly heads the market but this mark will demand more. Heaven Scent is interesting as the only runner for her Northern yard on the card. There are signs she may appreciate the softer ground and the weight for age scale will help her but the ground is still a question mark. NEW VENNTURE will have no problems on the ground front and this is more realistic than taking on Jers Girl the only time she has had soft ground to run on in the UK. She needs to up her general form to win this but the drop in trip and softer ground could easily see her do exactly that. Lady Longshot could run better than 20/1 odds suggest fitted with a tongue tie on soft ground for the first time.

1 BOBBLE BORU – Appeared to lose her confidence over fences for Venetia Williams but has come back to close to her best for her new yard over hurdles. The deeper the ground the better for her with four of her six wins coming on heavy ground so the surface will be to her liking. She has won at Exeter in the past as well so despite the seven pound penalty for her Chepstow win taking her to her highest mark for almost two years, she’s hard to ignore in current heart.

2 NEW VENNTURE – Travelled like a dream on her UK debut at Leicester before the lack of a run appeared to show close home. She then ran as well as could have been expected, pitched into a Listed race the following time. Her last run in France was solid for this level on very soft ground and this will be the deepest she has encountered here. Travelled well again for a long way at Taunton on ground that looked too quick for her, she was pulled up then but this step down in trip makes her interesting for a powerful yard.

3 FLIGHTY FILIA – A winner over two miles on the all weather, she showed a bit of promise over hurdles when runner up to Poisoned Berry. By Raven’s Pass, ground this soft would be a huge question mark and she was disappointing the only time she tried it on the flat. This trip is likely to be short of what she requires over hurdles and she is best watched on her handicap debut.

4 MARTHA MCCANDLES – 10 race maiden but her best effort came on soft ground at Nottingham. She was bitterly disappointing when pulled up on her handicap debut at Southwell but she made a mistake before appearing to lose her confidence over the brush hurdles. Those flights don’t suit everyone and on ground that suits, she should show up better for a yard who boast five winners and eight runners up from their last twenty one runners.

5 LADY LONGSHOT – Has shown little to recommend her as a potential winner in bumpers or maiden hurdles so far. She is likely to be seen in a better light now that she is handicapping especially with the ground interesting. All her runs so far have been on better ground but her dam was a multiple point winner on very deep ground while her half sister won on soft at Fontwell. A first time tongue tie is an eyecatching addition which could also prompt a better showing.

6 CHANCE TAKEN – Produced a career best on her seasonal return when runner up to Mrs Burbidge at Southwell. That winner has gone in again since with a couple of other horses who were behind her placed since. She failed to back that up at Hereford on her chase debut on soft ground but connections quickly revert her to hurdles. She has failed to get closer than thirteen and a half lengths to a winner when running on soft ground however and that is a big question mark over the suitability of conditions.

7 HEAVEN SCENT – Running juvenile hurdlers in open age handicaps has become de rigueur in recent years. Donald McCain sends her as his sole runner down from Cheshire so she needs plenty of respect for that with the weight for age looking a big plus. Her dam was placed on soft at Beverley so although she is unproven on it, she could improve for it and would be a danger to all if doing so.

8 MYLITTLEMOUSE – Pedigree screams soft ground but it also suggests that she needs considerably further than this extended two miles. Her dam was a full sister to The Grey Monk who was runner up in the 1996 Hennessy at Newbury. Only lightly raced but she is already nine years old so others are likely to be open to more improvement than she is.

9 HIJA – Sprung one of the biggest shocks of 2015 when winning on her hurdling debut at 80/1. She has not come close to reproducing that form since but that was the softest ground she has run on. Her mark has slipped considerably from her opening gambit of 104 so she is starting to look fairly treated. She has run no more than respectably in recent starts so the ground is going to have to make a significant difference.