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Who are the key players in the Springbok betting?

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Darrell Williams looks at the likely candidates in the Springbok which starts this Saturday at Wimbledon

The Springbok, which begins at Wimbledon on Saturday, is always one of the most eagerly awaited competitions of the year. Restricted to novice hurdlers, that is dogs that have not won over timber prior to the start of this year, there is often a big discrepancy in terms of class between the best hurdlers and the rest.

The key to finding the winner is usually quite simple, look for a dog that (a) can jump fluently and (b) has enough early speed to avoid potential hazards coming from those who can't! Although, given that they are novices, and therefore potentially open to improvement the more experience they gain, it doesn't usually take long to figure out the dogs that are natural hurdlers and those that aren't. Every year a batch of top grade flat runners try their luck over hurdles, but if they can't jump quickly and accurately, any flat speed is soon rendered useless.

Anyway, what about this year's event? The key, given what I have outlined already is to generally not look too far away from the obvious. In other words, the market, certainly for an ante post nibble, is usually the best guide.

Beardy's Harry is top of the pile and, now with leading jumps owner Ricky Holloway - nobody loves a hurdler more - has an obvious chance and has taken to timber like a duck to water. His early speed and ability to jump the flights slickly and stylishly makes him an obvious candidate for outright honours, and he's certainly more than fast enough judged on the evidence so far. He's also been handed what looks a very straightforward heat, and should encounter few problems on Saturday. If there is a concern, it centres on the new owner's insistence to switch him to his own trainer, Steven Willey - trainer of Grand National winner Jo's Cigar - from Jason Foster. It probably won't be a problem but, given his short odds, it has to be a slight concern that his routine is being changed at such a vital time. That said, I expect him to be a major player in the final, live on Sky Sports, on Tuesday week.

My own preference, however, is for Seamus Cahill's Hotdog Jack, who I've been very impressed with. Again, he has the early speed that's a must, and while his jumping is probably not as good as Beardy's Harry, it's improving all the time. A shade faster than his rival, he's my idea of the winner at this stage, even though he's drawn a tough first round heat. One of his opponents in that race; Ballyard Kaiser, has been all the rage in the betting in the last few days after a decent trial midweek. I would still tread carefully, though. Despite hailing from the kennels of leading jumps handler Jason Foster, it's worth noting that his run in the first round will be his first under race conditions.

Roancarrig View is highly thought of by trainer Kelly Mullins. He has the ideal fast, low jumping style that's required and is also fast between the flights. He looked to be progressing well, but a disappointing run behind Beardy's Harry the other night tempers my enthusiasm slightly, although he may be worth another chance and I'd expect him to at least win his heat.