2.10pm Huntingdon Tips & Betting Preview 10/11/2015

Race Time: 2.10pm Meeting: Huntingdon Day: Tuesday 10th November 2015
Distance: 2m 3f 137yds  Full Race Name: Omni Security Michaelmas Hurdle (A Handicap) Class Two

With £25,000 of guaranteed prize money, a large field of varying quality has been entered for this two and a half mile or so event, headed by the 144 rated Lil Rockerfeller (4/1) who is trained by Neil King and looks likely to be ridden by Trevor Whelan as he has been on five previous occasions. Wins at Ascot and Sandown saw the four year old rocket up the weights last spring, after which he has managed to place on the flat at Salisbury, and then when third on his return to action after five months off last month. Only beaten two and a quarter lengths by the classy Devilment and Karezak, he has Triumph Hurdle third Hargam behind him in fourth but found it all happening a bit too quickly over the two miles that day and may be better suited now he steps up in trip. On the down side, he has never even tried to carry eleven stone twelve in a race before so we are second guessing that aspect of the race, but then again he ran a good third in a better race than today’s and will strip a whole lot fitter here – certainly one worthy of a small bet at the very least.

John Ferguson trains Devilment so ought to now what is needed here and it looks like he might rely on Ruacana (13/2) here which is an interesting choice. Still only a six year old, his one and only attempt at this sort of trip saw him fade tamely at Cheltenham behind Don Poli in 2014, but the fact that they have kept him to two miles ever since does suggest suspect stamina, and in what looks like a highly competitive renewal, they seem sure to test him to the limits which may yet prove his undoing today, despite the red hot form of the Ferguson yard and jockey Aidan Coleman.

Nicky Henderson won it last season with Volnay De Thaix and is relying on Bivouac (5/1) this year which caught us off guard as he looked the worst of his early entries. Well beaten (or possibly thrashed) on his return last month behind Tea In Transvaal, he was remarkably weak in the market and sent off a 10/1 shot that day, though with all the stable facilities, you have to question why he was that unfit…he’s been picked as our overnight tip which is £200 in profit and you can see the full writeup here!

Looking for course and distance winners next led us to the Jonjo O’Neill trained Forthefunofit (7/2), a scorer here in February on similarly soft ground, though well beaten since at Cheltenham in the Martin Pipe Conditional’s Hurdle but many would say that was a tougher contest than this by some way. That was also the first time in six races the son of leading National Hunt sire Flemensfirth had failed to make the first three home, leaving him as a decent looking each way option, though as he is owned by the legendary J P McManus, common sense suggests we watch the betting carefully on race day.

Finally, A Vos Gardes (8/1) is a bit of a dark horse for Charlie Longsdon and may get in to the mix off a sensible rating of 135. He is another who looked as if he needed the run on his return to action fifth at Aintree in what we feel was a better race than today’s, though he was beaten an awful long way at the line and has a bit to prove to us before we decide to open the wallet to part with any of our cash.