4.45pm Uttoxeter Tips & Betting Preview 30/07/2017

Over £15,500 on offer to the winner of this competitive handicap chase over two and a half miles. Read on for our runner by runner preview and expert tip.

IN SUMMARY: Braqueur D’Or is the obvious one on recent form, but that has come on a much quicker surface than he is going to get here which leaves him with a sizeable question to answer. Wadswick Court arguably sets the standard on his runner up effort in the Summer Plate last time out at Market Rasen, but he has struggled to get his head in front when this high up the weights in the past. Our original selection Degoogh is sadly now a non runner so we are siding with GENTLEMAN JON. Although he would possibly prefer better ground, he does have the ability to go close today and he looks a value bet in what is now a wide open looking race.

1 HENRYVILLE – Talented but imperious, he has his own ideas about the game. He was third in a course and distance handicap earlier in the season, an incident filled contest which may not be the strongest form guide. He looks plenty high enough in the weights following a pair of wins in the spring, with just a single well beaten run when trying ground this soft in the past.

2 DEFINITE FUTURE – Taken his form to a new level in 2017, notching up wins at Aintree and Worcester. He won at this track last September, but all of his best efforts have come on much better ground than he is going to be faced with here. He has been kept away from these conditions since well beaten twice on soft in his youth so he is tough to support now.

3 DEGOOCH (NON RUNNER) – Wide margin winner at Stratford last time having travelled well. A ten pound rise for that is perfectly fair on the bare face of the form but it moves him to a mark some eight pounds higher than he has even been. That may look tough on the bare face of things but a that career best came with a tongue strap fitted for the first time. Has won on soft in the past and looks well capable of further improvement now that connections appear to have found the key to him.

4 MONT ROYALE – Twice a winner on soft ground, including at Cartmel already this season. That has pushed him to a career high mark, a level that looked well beyond him at Market Rasen in June. The return to a softer surface may help him get closer, but the percentage call is to oppose from as high as this.

5 WADSWICK COURT – Well behind Mont Royale at Cartmel in May, he has been runner up on all three starts since. The latest of those was the Summer Plate at Market Rasen, a deeper contest than this one. He was a winner on soft over hurdles in his youth although his best form over the bigger obstacles has come on better ground. He is back up to 130 on the back of that Summer Plate run, that form gives him a big chance but a career record of 0/19 when running from 125+ suggests it is only an each way one.

6 BRAQUEUR D’OR – Much improved since going chasing, winning with any amount in hand the last twice. An extra eight pounds demands more, but this rapidly improving six year old shouldn’t be stopped by that alone. The bigger concern has to be the ground, those wins were on good and good to firm, his two runs on good to soft in the past are about his career worst.

7 AERLITE SUPREME – Finally halted a slide down the handicap at Warwick in May. Has wins on soft to his credit in Ireland in the past, rated as high as 135 in his pomp. This drop back in trip should suit him having failed to get home over 3m 2f at this track last time out. A mark of 125 is a workable one on his best, but he has proved a difficult horse to win with in the past and isn’t easy to place maximum faith in.

8 GENTLEMAN JON – Despite being a pound out the weights, he is well treated on his winning form from the back end of 2016. Three of his four best career runs have all come at Wincanton on better ground, so will be of more interest back there later on in the season, with his soft ground form not to the same level as his efforts on better.