Sprints on ground softer than good have yielded a fine run of form from Hab Reeh and they are expected to continue in that vein in this afternoon's 16:30 at Hamilton. He went in from a reduced mark at Newcastle towards the end of April and has finished runner-up on both starts since, under very similar conditions to today on the first occasion. The snag is that he's now been raised a couple of pounds for his recent efforts, though Hab Reeh's current mark of 59 is just 1 lb higher than the highest he's won off to date and, as we've already alluded to, is in the midst of his best run of form since. He ought to go very close.
Ffos Las' 20:05 is a typical staying handicap chase for the time of year: despite being a 0-125, most of them have holes in their sails. It's a notion that admittedly extends to Carloswayback, though in his case there is an incentive to take those risks on board and back him at tempting prices. Put simply, if Carloswayback were to return to his best he'd win and that looked like it could be on the horizon when he ran at Wincanton a couple of weeks back. On just his second start for a new yard, he travelled as well as just about any and was getting into a duel with eventual winner Oscarslad when unseating just after four out. It's projected that Carloswayback would have run within a handful of pounds of his best had he remained in partnership with his rider; such form would have him setting the standard here from the same mark.
From exposed chasers to exciting three-year-olds for our last bet, which comes in Kempton's 20:30. For all the number of promising horses in the line-up, you suspect that the Sir Michael Stoute-trained Idea ought to be a slightly warmer order than the market currently forecasts. He's a fairly typical Stoute charge, well-bred but treated with patience. He made his debut (unseated) only in late-September but was allowed to drop in trip for his next start, duly winning in good style at Windsor despite meeting trouble. The betting for Idea's reappearance race, a handicap at the Dante meeting, backed up the idea that he's better than a BHA mark of 79. He wasn't able to prove it then, but a hint was dropped in how he travelled into contention, his weakening late on likely to be a result of a seven-month absence as he's certainly bred to stay seven furlongs and further. With fitness now on his side, expect Idea to start fulfilling his promise this evening.
Timeform UK SmartPlays
Back Hab Reh @ 6.611/2 in the 16:30 Hamilton
Back Carloswayback @ 5.95/1 in the 20:05 Ffos Las
Back Idea @ 3.259/4 in the 20:30 Kempton
