We start in the 21-furlong handicap hurdle at 14:50. With Last Shadow out it now looks a good opportunity for Grate Fella to follow up his New Year's Day success at Catterick. Challenged approaching the last that day, Grate Fella pulled out more to land his second success from four starts over hurdles. He's been upped in trip again, which shouldn't be a problem on the visual evidence of Catterick, while a rise of 7 lb seems fair enough on the bare facts of what he achieved. Still very much unexposed, it's not difficult to envisage Grate Fella improving again to make it two from two in 2014.
We move on just half an hour in search of our second bet. The 15:20 isn't as strong a contest as the one Benefit Cut finished second in on his chasing debut at Ascot a couple of weeks ago and he looks to hold outstanding claims of achieving a maiden success on his second try. Before that Ascot run Benefit Cut had looked more settled than previously and had been showing the benefit in his level of form, coming clear with another improving rival at Southwell in October. He jumped boldly and rallied once headed at Ascot, all the more admirable given he'd been off for the best part of three months. So long as that hasn't left a mark with him turned out relatively quickly, Benefit Cut sets a very high standard here.
The 15:50 is the weakest race of all we'll tackle today. Only three of the six warrant serious consideration and even among those Taffy Thomas hasn't been at his very best on recent starts. Both Honest John and Divine Intavention are evidently well handicapped depending on how far you look back. Honest John comes here with fewer unknowns in terms of recent form and fitness, though with the lack of depth taking Divine Intavention to finish in the first two is just too strong a proposition to resist. A second-placed finish in last year's Foxhunter at Cheltenham flatters him, though it does signal that he was a useful hunter for the Francesca Moller yard. He's since been switched to Martin Keighley and given a BHA mark of 109 tackling a handicap for the first time. That could be very lenient, so Divine Intavention is worth chancing.
Timeform UK SmartPlays
All at Market Rasen
Back Grate Fella @ 3.7511/4 in the 14:50
Back Benefit Cut @ 2.427/5 in the 15:20
Back Divine Intavention @ 2.6413/8 to win & 1.75/7 to place in the 15:50
