Horse Racing Tips: Rhys Williams fancies Hales hurdler to bounce back at Worcester

Potential to bounce back after wind op

Worcester 15:00: Hiconic 1pt win 8/1

Hiconic has been beaten 23 and 15½ lengths on her two starts over hurdles this season but she has shaped better than that suggests on both occasions and I'm hoping a wind op will result in her finishing stronger than has been the case of late.

She ran over 2m1f at Cartmel two starts ago and was very prominent from the off. She was still in a close second jumping 2 out and was pushed along on landing to make her challenge. She got upsides at the last but made a mistake and was then squeezed up turning into the home straight, after which she dropped away quickly.

She was ridden with similar tactics over the same C&D last time, this time going into a slight lead approaching 3 out. She was still travelling well after 2 out before being pushed along turning the bend towards the last.

She held a slight advantage jumping that but was soon headed on landing and weakened quickly in the straight to finish ninth.

The manner in which Hiconic has travelled in both of those races suggests that she still has a good level of ability and being dropped 7lb for those runs could prove to be too generous.

If it was an issue with her wind that caused her to finish so weakly on both runs then hopefully the wind op and first time tongue tie will result in her finishing off the race stronger today over a slightly shorter trip.

It is worrying just how quickly she lost her place in the straight and it might be that the wind op has no impact and she fades away late on again today but I think she's overpriced in a race where she could be favourably positioned and any 7/1 or bigger appeals.