Alan Dudman was in good form last week and he is hoping to start Monday well with 12/113.00 and 8/19.00 selections at Wolverhampton...
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Skilled Warrior could be over ideal trip
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Ghostly goes well at Wolverhampton
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An each-way double with an extra place special
I don't fancy anything at all over the jumps today at Catterick and Plumpton, so a couple of the bigger fields at Wolverhampton are on the list for Monday and Skilled Warrior was a mover on the Sportsbook this morning - cut from 16/117.00 to 11/112.00 then out to 12/113.00 for the 19:30.
The 6yo has come down a fair way in the weights and is certainly off a mark he can win off, but his 2023 season was poor.
However, brighter signs have come on his last two starts on the All-Weather and ran quite well at Newcastle last month when finishing a close fourth off 75 in January.
He'd previously been seen over 1m4f and 1m2f, and he did well to cope with the speed test dropped to a 1m on that occasion.
Skilled Warrior was in a much stronger race last time at Southwell in 0-88 company, and again he wasn't beaten too far.
The mark is a good one off his old form and tonight's trip looks ideal with a drop down in class. We also have four places each-way on the Sportsbook.
Ghostly wouldn't have too many fans, but the 20:00 Classified Stakes is a terrible race and Bella Bluesky's win last time at Southwell looks a dubious piece of form.
Ghostly is double the price at 8/19.00 of that one, and the 6yo is a hardy campaigner with four wins from 40 on the All-Weather. And while the jumps horses are rarely seen at the top level and kept for Cheltenham, these low grade runners continue to turn up week in week out.
He got the race in the stewards' room in November at Newcastle over the extended 1m4f, so we know he stays, and at least he knows how to win, which so few can boast in this horror grade.
The 6yo goes well at Wolverhampton too, and won a 1m6f race at the track (albeit a messy one) in the summer off 47.
The draw tonight is not great in 11, but Hollie Doyle is on and the gelding is usually played late off the pace, so Doyle will presumably just tuck him in early and hold him up.