6.40pm Brighton Tips & Betting Preview 20/06/2017

No past renewals to go on and no need to worry about looking for an each way option with a very disappointing four runners contesting for the £4,690 first prize. Read on for our detailed race preview and tip, horse by horse.

IN SUMMARY: BLACK CAESAR may just about have the tactical edge over Honiara whose best form is all on the all-weather lately, and can win this for local trainer Philip Hide if making all the running as hoped, and then fighting off all challengers.

1 HONIARA – Top weight of nine stone seven for Paul Cole’s gelding who was last seen in action on the Lingfield polytrack when a short head second to Take The Helm over this trip in February. He runs off a turf rating seven pounds lower here and has placed on grass at Windsor but will need to overcome a four month break to be successful here. The stable are none form twelve in the last fortnight which has to be a worry, and there is no guarantee that blinkers will have the same effect a second time, but he did win his maiden after a long break at Chantilly and may even be best caught fresh these days.

2 FAST DANCER – Trained in Lambourn by Joseph Tuite, the five-year-old son of Fast Company sports a first time visor after a perfectly acceptable fifth of nine to Energia Fox when stepped up to a mile and a quarter plus at Chester last month, less than five lengths behind the winner. Held up in a vain attempt at getting the trip he was very one paced close home and got caught for fourth by Dark Intention near the line. His race record shoes two wins over five and six furlongs as well as nine places at up to a mile, and has won off this rating and higher. He may well be forced to make his own running here but has done so successfully in the last and looks to be a major player again this evening for a stable in good heart with a 195 strike rate in the last two weeks.

3 BLACK CAESAR – The only last time out winner in the field after taking a course and distance handicap here by three quarters of a length less than two weeks ago. He has been put up two pounds for that, which seems reasonable enough though he will need to repeat that effort here on a much quicker surface. He has got form on good to firm including a second here and has a course record that includes three wins and five places (from twelve starts), and after his last win local Sussex trainer Philip Hide said “Since I ran Black Caesar over hurdles at Plumpton he’s been a model of consistency, He’s a lovely old horse and I’m very fond of him”, and he seems sure to go well again and ought to be able to challenge.

4 GOOD LUCK CHARM –Officially the worst horse in the race but weighted accordingly. He hasn’t won in ten starts now but did win over course and distance in May 2016 off a rating a pound higher so cannot be simply dismissed. His last run was on the Kempton all-weather when seventh of thirteen to Believe It at odds of 25/1 under hector Crouch who takes three pounds off his back again this evening, and has won here three times but seems to need to be held up and that may be difficult in a field of this size.