3.50pm Exeter Tips & Betting Preview 24/10/2017

3.50pm Exeter tips for Tuesday’s race. Three miles on soft going will test the stamina of some in this three-mile handicap hurdle that looks pretty decent for a Tuesday afternoon. Read on for our free betting tips, predictions and analysis.

IN SUMMARY: Plenty of intriguing options in this handicap hurdle but none more so that SUTTER’S MILL (Each Way) who ticks most of the boxes. Fitter than most after recent runs, he found his last race too short for him to be seen at his best but is back up in trip this afternoon and with more improvement likely, looks overpriced and well worth a second look. 

1 MAGUIRE’S GLEN – An interesting challenger after he hacked up by an easy thirteen lengths at Newton Abbot on heavy ground last time out but he has to suffer an added ten pounds here which may well be his undoing. Mikey Hamill claims five pounds off his back but did so last time as well and although a place is very much on the cards, the added weight may well be enough to stop a follow-up win today.

2 MIDNIGHT REQUEST – Looked to be in great form after wins at Carlisle and Towcester at the beginning of the year but found a new rating of 115 beyond him when last seen at Carlisle with a twenty-three length fifth of eight in a slightly better race. Left on the same mark here he may well need to come down a few pounds before he can add to his four career wins for the Nigel Hawke stable who have had five losing runners in the past two weeks.

3 DREAMSOFTHEATRE – Trainer Jonjo O’Neill made the most of a generous mark over the smaller obstacles when sending him hurdling for the first time since late 2013 at Huntingdon when he stayed on well to win over three miles and a furlong. Up a big nine pounds for that, he needs to improve again to take a hand here and may now do better reverting to fences where he can run of a lower mark.

4 BILLY TWO TONGUES – His last win was over fences in June 2016 at Fontwell off a mark of 110, four pounds lower than he has to shoulder today which in turn is twenty-two pounds higher than his last win over hurdles when in the care of Mick Easterby. Now with Jeremy Scott, he needs to find plenty of improvement to win off this weight on his first run over hurdles since February 2015.

5 WATERLOO WARRIOR – Colin Tizzard’s five-year-old has the benefit of a recent run when fourth to Maguire’s Glen at Newton Abbot earlier this month but looked a difficult ride that day, and hardly looks one to reply on at present. His second to Shoofly Milly here in March would give him every chance off just four pounds higher but his trainer needs to work out his attitude issues if he is to give his best this afternoon.

6 MIDNIGHT GLORY – The Philip Hobbs yard are going well of late with six winners from twenty-two runners in the last fourteen days for a 27% strike rate and although she hasn’t been seen since March her stable will have her fit enough for a big effort. Seems a late developing sort and may well do even better this season and a big run is very much on the cards with Richard Johnson in the saddle and has place prospects at the very least.

7 FORGETTHESMALLTALK – Goes handicapping now after just the two starts over obstacles in maiden hurdles which is interesting in itself. Trainer Alan King will know exactly how good he is and he did win a point to point at Loughrea so has plenty of ability, and although a mark of 112 does look on the high side, connections obviously feel otherwise to throw him into a handicap at this early stage of his career. 

8 BRAW ANGUS – Kim Bailey’s seven-year-old appreciated a step up in trip to two and a half miles when successful at Huntingdon in March and stayed on into second at Chepstow over the same sort of trip on his only run since. This will be his first attempt at this sort of trip and if he stays he could certainly be of interest, though on breeding that is not exactly guaranteed and others have better claims.

9 SUTTER’S MILL – The fit and fancied option after a win at Newton Abbot over a quarter of a mile further in July and a second to Quarenta at Warwick last time out when running on to be beaten two lengths over two miles five last time out. He should be far happier over this trip and won’t mind the soft going either, and even though a rating of 110 leaves him needing a career-best the seems to be improving and that is still very much a probability.

10 SHOOFLY MILLY – Jeremy Scott’s mare won here by a length and a half after making all the running in early March but found an extra seven pounds too much to carry last time out when a well-beaten fourth at Stratford over further. Blinkers replace a visor this afternoon but it seems to be clutching at straws to think they will make the required difference off exactly the same rating here. 

11 AMBION LANE – First-time cheekpieces are added by trainer Victor Dartnall this afternoon to the son of Scorpion but they will need to bring plenty of improvement if he wants to get involved in this line-up. Still a maiden after a bumper, two chases, and five runs over hurdles, he did finish second to Falcons Fall at Chepstow over this sort of trip but he still has plenty to find even off of bottom weight here.