Hi,
Please see below my two picks for Wednesday:
Fair To Dream – 4.45 Ludlow – 2 Mile Handicap Chase – 80/1 Ladbrokes, Coral, Boyles – 3 Places – 1 Point Each Way.
The 9-year-old Fair To Dream is lightly raced having just eleven starts to date.
His form doesn’t make particularly good reading, being unplaced in all 5 hurdles starts (including maidens), postmarking a high of 91, and only managing a second place from 5 starts over fences with a postmark high of just 83.
On the face of it, he also looks inconsistent, so this is not good news so far – but here is the good news.
He has run 5 times at Ludlow, with his three best postmarks of 83, 89, and 91 all being achieved at today’s Ludlow track, so we are backing him at the right track!
It’s also interesting that he came second in this race last year off a mark of 79 and he runs off a 1lb lower mark today. That was a strange race as Fair To Dream was given a very weak ride at the rear of the field and finished full of running, so I feel there could be more to come now he gets the same soft ground.
He didn’t back up the form on his next start, nor his reappearance run, but at least we know he is fit and should improve for the return to Ludlow.
Connections also apply first-time cheekpieces that might help him jump and travel better.
If he can replicate any of his previous Ludlow postmarks, we should at least place and are very much in contention to win what looks like a poor race.
He looks massively overpriced at monster odds of 80/1 with Ladbrokes, Coral, and Boyles and I recommend 1 point each way (best odds guaranteed).
He is still value at 33/1.
Happy and Fine – 4.10 Ludlow – 2m 5F Handicap Hurdle – 18/1 Ladbrokes, Coral, Bet365 (20/1) – BOG – 1 Point Each Way – 4 Places.
Happy and Fine is a young 5 year old who started life in France with two promising runs over 2m 2F and 2m 3F, where he stayed on and postmarked a high of 109.
He was purchased by UK connections and made his debut in a 2-mile maiden hurdle where he again ran well to finish third and matched the 109 mark.
That qualified him for handicaps and after a flattish run over 2 miles off an opening mark of 110, they stepped him up to a more suitable 2m 4F and where he was nicely backed and ran on for third, only losing by 1.5 lengths.
On his latest start, he went off the favourite, but for whatever reason, he never travelled and finished well beaten. Clearly, he wasn’t very Happy and Fine that day!!
Today is somewhat of a recovery mission, and I like that connections reach for the cheekpieces which should help him travel better, and hopefully, that makes him feel Happy and Fine today!
Considering he was a beaten favourite last time I’m surprised we can back him at 18/1, especially with the very good Harry Bannister on board.
He is worth another chance and I, therefore, recommend 1 point each way with Ladbrokes, Corals, and Bet365 (who go 20/1) – BOG – 4 places.
He is still value at 12/1.
