It’s Blue Riband Trial Day at Epsom on Tuesday and there’s some competitive action to look forward to on the supporting card. One such race is the 11-runner handicap which closes the card and there’s an attractively-priced outsider that’s worth giving a chance. The horse in question hails from a local yard and he can outrun his massive odds on Tuesday. Check out our free tips page for daily content across British and Irish racing.
Commander Crouch was an extremely busy juvenile for Richard Hannon, making 11 starts and winning once. There are some more than fair performances amongst those efforts and his mark is slipping down to an attractive one.
You can probably forgive his below-par effort on seasonal reappearance at Kempton and he shaped as if he needed the run. One positive to come out of it is the fact that the handicapper has dropped him 1lb as a consequence, leaving him on a mark of 78, which is just 3lb higher than his last winning one.
Getting off the mark narrowly in a Racing League nursery at Southwell in September, the front two were clear of the rest that day. If he can reproduce a similar level of form for his new yard off just a 3lb higher mark here, a big run could be on the cards.
Local trainer Jim Boyle certainly knows what it takes to have a winner around here and it would be no surprise if Commander Crouch was to make the frame here. This is certainly a competitive 0-80 and Richard Hannon’s progressive Mr Baloo appears to be the most likely winner but Boyle’s gelding can give him a run for his money.
If you back any of our selections you can watch them live on the free Racing Post app or racingpost.com. Simply log in to one of your bookmaker accounts and click ‘Watch live’ on the racecards.