2.35pm Sedgefield Tips & Betting Preview 25/10/2017

2.35pm Sedgefield tips for Wednesday’s race. Two miles five furlongs over await the thirteen declared overnight. Read on for our free betting tips, predictions and analysis.

IN SUMMARY: EVER SO MUCH (Each Way) looks the value call here and looked as if he was returning to something nearer to his best for when third last time out. He will need to improve again but looks as if his confidence is returning at last and at the prices, an each way bet may well pay dividends.

1 OSCAR O’SCAR – Won twice in 2016 and looked all set for a decent campaign with a fourth to Iora Glass at Bangor last time out in June. Not seen since and has his own ideas about the game now and then, but he has won from five pounds higher than this as a novice back in March 2016 and thus cannot be easily written off despite the issue of twelve stone three (less his jockeys claim) this afternoon.

2 AMUSE ME – joint top weight for the James Moffatt trained eleven-year-old grey who has now won thirteen of his sixty-nine starts and heading towards £50,000 in prize money. His last three wins have all been over hurdles and you have to go back to July 2015 for his last victory over fences, though he has won off this mark though that was when ridden by A P McCoy in 2013 and he looks likely to find this beyond him here.

3 INDIAN VOYAGE – Plenty of recent races suggest he will at least be fitter than some here but he has now raced twenty-one times without success and us hard to make a case for ow. Last time out he was pulled up when tied over three miles at Hexham and he has only been dropped a single pound since, and although he has won over this sort of trip, his better form does seem to be over two miles or so and he may find this trickier in this competitive field.

4 CHAIN OF BEACONS – Not seen so far this season with his last race a third to Endless Credit at Perth back in April. He has his first run for trainer Katie Scott today who is yet to have a winner from eleven runners this season (which goes back to April), making the nine-year-old hard to make any case for this afternoon and with just the one win from nineteen career starts, others appeal a lot more.

5 CAPTAIN MOWBRAY – Still a maiden after nineteen starts, but only three over fences and therefore open to plenty of improvement. He looked sure to win here before losing focus and falling at the last earlier this month here over shorter but if that hasn’t taken too much out of him mentally he looks to have a really decent chance now and could yet be the surprise package despite somehow being put up three pounds for failing to complete.

6 BROTHER SCOTT – Four runs for trainer Barbara Butterworth since leaving Sue Smith have seen a couple of decent enough second places but a poor tenth of fourteen last time out beaten thirty-nine lengths here over a quarter of a mile shorter. Sean Quinlan retains the ride and knows the horse well but he does need to get back to his best to have any chance here.

7 EVER SO MUCH – Two wins in 2016, one over fences and the other over hurdles, were his last runs worthy of a serious mention until he showed glimmers of his old form when third to Mathayus here over hurdles last time out. He was still beaten over ten lengths so no need to get too excited, and was beaten thirty-seven lengths on his last outing over fences at Hexham, but he is owned by J P McManus so a market watch may tell us more about his chances come race time.

8 ROSQUERO – His last win over fences was over considerably shorter (two miles and a furlong) in December 2016, but he has run some decent races in defeat with four places, though his recent runs have been disappointing with a thirty-five length fifth at Uttoxeter last time out. Dropped another three pounds by the handicapper he is certainly heading back towards a winning mark but he needs to show signs of a revival before he can be recommended.

9 SWEET BELLE – Although a point to point winner she has struggled over fences under rules with a win at Sedgefield over three and a quarter miles her only victory so far. That really wasn’t much of a race and the form adds up to very little with her last of ten at Southwell (beaten sixty-nine lengths) suggesting she will struggle again in this more competitive field.

10 ROXYFET – With eight wins from sixty-eight starts, seven of them over fences, Micky Hammond’s seven-year-old cannot be ignored but he has an awful lot to find here on recent form. His last four runs have seen him beaten thirty-one lengths, forty-five lengths, thirty-two lengths, and fifty-three lengths, and although he is going down the ratings slowly he needs to show signs of his old form to even be considered.

11 KNOCKNAMONA – Another runner for Micky Hammond but another equally hard to recommend after no wins from six starts in point to points, one from twelve over hurdles, and falling on his chasing debut at Hexham after clipping heels before they even reached the first. Certainly open to improvement and only a baby at the age of six and may yet run a lot better than his price implies at these weights.

12 ROBINS LEGEND – First-time blinkers for the Chris Grant gelding as he looks to make the most of a featherweight here on only his second start over fences. He was pulled up at Hexham when tailed off four out and clearly needs to offer up a lot more here to even get a mention at the business end of this race despite the excellent Brian Hughes in the saddle.

13 COOTE STREET – Runs from over a stone out of the handicap carrying ten stone here (before his jockey’s claim), and should carry eight stone twelve according to the ratings. Pulled up five times in nine starts including point to points if he wins so do the bookmakers with a huge price expected, and rightly so on what we have seen so far.