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Two Thursday selections
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Mullins can dominate with an underestimated runner at Perth
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Henderson's Hyland back on good ground makes plenty of appeal
Willie Mullins' Milo Lises - 9/43.25 on the Betfair Sportsbook - put in a brilliant performance on heavy ground at Punchestown last time to record strong closing sectionals to reel in a runaway leader, and that seemed to be a coming of age.
The five-year-old has seen that form take a boost from the runner-up, who had some robust previous form that ties in with some of this year's best novice hurdlers, and they pulled 11 lengths clear of the third.
The selection's debut bumper form behind Predators Gold in the noteworthy Goffs Defender Bumper in 2023 - a race with a significant roll of honour - looks very powerful in the context of this race, and his opening mark in Britain of 128 is more than manageable based on the form of those two efforts.
There's a good chance that he will kick on through the spring, and having shown plenty of gears at Punchestown, he should be well suited by this better surface. He faces mainly exposed runners in this race today, and it would be highly disappointing if he could not get the job done 9/43.25 seems very generous as I make him a 15/82.88 chance.
This is a competitive little race for the time of year. Still, Nicky Henderson's Hyland - 4/15.00 on the Betfair Sportsbook - is of firm interest not back on a sounder surface and can prove ahead of the handicapper after two unsuitable tasks the last twice.
The seven-year-old looked firmly on the upgrade when scoring at Cheltenham in October and was better than the bare result at Newbury in December when given too much to do from off the pace behind a very well-handicapped runner who is now rated 14lb higher.
The drop-in trip at Ascot in February was no more than a prep run for the Pertemps Final that he had qualified for at the start of the season, but the ground went against him in March, so that's worth forgiving.
Now given a short break to get over those excursions, he returns to the track only four pounds higher than his Cheltenham October victory at a course where he has a 2-3 record, drops back into a Class 3 contest and has his favoured underfoot conditions for the first time since the start of the campaign.
He gets a vote of confidence with Nico de Boinville in the saddle, which is another positive, and he can get the better of Take No Chances and Saint Davy. Any 11/43.75 or bigger is acceptable.