15:10
Bath
Odds correct as of 10:19am 09th Oct
It’s an exciting time of year for National Hunt racing fans, with the unofficial season opener taking place at Chepstow this week. There’s some interesting action on the Flat still and well known hurdler Marie’s Rock is set to make just her second start on the Flat at Bath on Thursday. Surely there will be plenty of interested parties and this will be a race worth watching. With that in mind, we’ve assessed her chances of coming out on top. Check out our free tips page for daily content across British and Irish racing.
Marie’s Rock would be hot favourite for this race if hurdles form was directly translatable to the Flat. Nicky Henderson’s mare won back-to-back Grade 1 races in 2022, scoring in the Mares’ Hurdle and Mares Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham and Punchestown respectively.
She has maintained a good level of form since then, despite not quite reaching those levels. It was a good effort when winning a Grade 2 mares’ hurdle at Doncaster in January, although she struggled at Cheltenham and Aintree.
Making her Flat debut in a Group 3 at York in May, she was far from disgraced when finishing fifth behind some useful performers. This Listed race should be a little easier and she doesn’t have a great deal to find on the evidence of her first run.
The Crisford’s, the Gosden’s and Ralph Beckett are all represented here and Fairy Glen is likely to prove popular, after being narrowly denied in this grade at Longchamp last time. Lmay perhaps isn’t the most consistent but is capable if putting her best foot forward.
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