Horse Racing Tips: Venetia holds an ace card at Exeter for 17/1 Thursday double

• Exeter winning form a plus for Enjoy Your Life

• Jacob can repeat the feat on Issam at 14:30 in the west country

• Alan Dudman picks out two tips for Thursday in a 17/118.00 Sportsbook double

Exeter - 13:55: Back Enjoy Your Life @ 11/26.50

A return to Exeter's three miles is a positive for Venetia Williams' Enjoy Your Life - and I wasn't alone in thinking so with the Sportsbook cutting the seven-year-old into 11/26.50 from 7/18.00 yesterday evening, but it's still an acceptable price.

He won over course and distance last November from a mark of 114 and travelled very nicely on good to soft ground throughout. And while muddy and heavy conditions are Venetia's fortune, Enjoy Your Life seems versatile enough and a repeat of good to soft will do just nicely.

He should come on too from his Chepstow reappearance when second to the progressive fencer Range over 2m4f. That trip would have been very much on the sharp side for a return after 229 days and the form could be worth a little more despite the six length defeat as Range was a handy hurdler that could be even better over fences.

The trainer is on the hotlist too, and not content with mopping up a profusion of Saturday prizes, in the last month she's fired in 14 winners - and only Dan Skelton (23) and Paul Nicholls have more. All achieved with a healthy 24% strike-rate.

Enjoy Your Life ran in the Devon Stayers' at the track last term over 3m6f, but today's trip looks his best.

Exeter - 14:30: Back Issam @ 15/82.88

The absence of Dan Skelton's Lac De Constance had a significant impact towards the top of the betting last night with Issam the major change into 15/82.88 following the non-runner.

Issam is almost unbeatable at Exeter with a course record of two wins and a second from three starts, and one of those victories was in this very race 12 months ago in dogged fashion and not without a scare.

It looked as though he was going to whizz in that day, but he landed on all fours at the final hurdle and had to be galvanised by Daryl Jacob to run on strongly to the line. He looked a tired horse at the final flight, but the ground was heavy according to Timeform and considering the lead changed hands a few times and a field strung out, it proved to be quite the test.

The six-year-old tends to rally strongly at the end of races and he did just that in the Welsh Champion Hurdle at Ffos Las in October - his first run of the season. He once again walked through a hurdle two out, but responded late, but the front two in Lump Sum and Steel Ally had made moves far earlier to win with Issam plugging on in behind.

Indeed, both of those Sam Thomas' horses from Ffos Las were rated 134 for that prize, and there's nothing of that calibre in this with Issam dropping in class after finding 0-145 company too hot to handle at Newbury.

Now read Alan Dudman's latest antepost preview for Ascot this Saturday