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Hiya Maite an easy 2.35 winner for Alan yesterday
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East Street in for a dour test at Haydock
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Start In Front to handle conditions well too
I wish they all won as well as Hiya Maite yesterday. Heathen travelled beautifully and hit a short price in-running to somehow deny us a double. On with Saturday.
The Last Fling Handicap Chase in heavy conditions only has six runners, and I doubt all six will finish as the ground will make this potentially grim stuff.
East Street isn't the most reliable nor is he the most tractable as often races lazily, but a shot at this 3m4f could be up his (east) street.
He won at Wetherby last month in heavy ground and hit 85.084/1 in-running, and he at least backed up that run with a second last time at Newcastle - once again in extreme going.
His jumping let him down slightly in the race, but at Newcastle and the way he came off the bridle, he has a real chance of staying this afternoon as he won as a novice hurdler back in 2022 at Hexham and that was dour stuff. A real old fashioned "mudder" is what we need today and he could be it.
The relentless galloping style of Start In Front could be suited to the 14:35 and I fancy him to be a stronger stayer than fellow joint-favourite Fortescue Wood.
The latter is returning off a 306-day absence, and while he is unexposed and switches to a handicap for the first time, this will be a tough ask for a first run of the season in the ground - especially as he can pull when going off in front.
Start In Front was rated 120 as a juvenile hurdler and won nicely at Wetherby in soft conditions when he started out with Rebecca Menzies, and the trainer described him as a horse with a solid attitude.
Soft and heavy suit him and considering his hurdling rating, he looks nicely in here from 111. It doesn't look the strongest 0-135 to be staged at the track, and while he has to improve a fair bit, he's off a low weight and will stay in the conditions.
I expect the field to be thinned out.