Timeform UK SmartPlays: Thursday November 7

The juvenile hurdle at Musselburgh (13:30) is the first race under consideration today, and Tony Carroll's Akdam can put his wealth of experience to good use. He's taken well to hurdling, winning on his debut at Hexham and being placed on all five of his subsequent starts. There may be others who will improve past him in the future, but today looks a good opportunity to get back to winning ways. His third to promising French import Keltus at Chepstow last time under a penalty could prove out to be useful form, for all that he had every chance to get closer to the winner. There are dangers in the form of flat winners Seaside Rock and Gold Chain, but experience can count for a lot in these small field contests, and for that reason Akdam is a confident selection.

We head south to Towcester next, where Gizzit looks to have an excellent chance in the novices' handicap chase (14:40). He has shaped better than the bare results suggest on both of his first two starts over fences, and given that he was rewarded for his consistency when landing a handicap hurdle at Warwick in June, it would be no surprise to see him get a similar reward here. Only two others in the field of eleven to have run over fences before, and Towcester is not the easiest of tracks to negotiate with inexperienced jumpers. On Gizzit's last start at Chepstow he looked a horse who would come on for the run after five months off, and was not strictly handled in the closing stages. He should be sharper today and can realise his potential, which could be considerable in this sphere. 

A competitive handicap hurdle back at Musselburgh (15:30) contains our third and final best bet for Thursday, with Any Given Moment looking to get his head back in front after going close on his last two attempts in May. However his last two victories were recorded at this track, and he has won off a layoff before. There is an argument to suggest that this is a little on the short side in terms of what he requires tripwise noawadays, but given his aptitude for the track, and the form in which he was last seen, he should give a good account. There are dangers in the form of Ueueteotl and Bogside, who have both returned with good placed efforts recently, but they may not quite have the measure of Sandy Thomson's seven year old with Grand National winning jockey Ryan Mania in the saddle. 

Timeform UK SmartPlays:

Back Akdam @ 2.0811/10 in the 13:30 at Musselburgh
Back Gizzit @ 5.95/1 in the 14:40 at Towcester
Back Any Given Moment @ 8.07/1 in the 15:30 at Musselburgh

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