The 14:10 is one of a few four-mile chases held here over the season. It's going to be full of slow coaches and old plodders, right? Right. Well, seven-eighths right. It's the bit left over that piques our interest.
Merlin's Wish made it into the Timeform Notebook last week, his effort at Chepstow really meritorious considering he was brought to a near standstill when clattering four out. Considering he was beaten only just over a length in the end, it's no exaggeration to say that Merlin's Wish was a moral winner. Two weeks on here he is, 4 lb higher in the weights and upped to a trip that might just be the making of this unexposed ex-pointer. Those concerned with him making mistakes again can be assuaged by the Hexham fences, purportedly among the softest in the country. The chances of Merlin's Wish fluffing his lines are all too slim on known evidence, so even at inside 3.02/1 he's a bet for this race.
The 14:40 is a race primed for taking a chance in, so that's what we're going to do. None of these novices are especially solid, and that would include Cavite Eta, but we're dictated to by price above all and his looks to be the most appealing. Fences seem to have breathed some life back into Cavite Eta, impressing with how he travelled at Kelso on debut and then taking advantage at Sedgefield with a better round of jumping. His form comes and goes, so he's not exactly one to follow, but Cavite Eta remains attractively handicapped on his best hurdles form and can strike again while he's in the groove, however briefly.
The 15:10 boasts a big field, but as a 0-100 handicap hurdle it's still far from the most competitive of races and as a result there appears to be mileage in backing Saddlers Mot to take advantage of a recent good spell. He's been out of the frame only once from six runs this season, a fine return for a low-grade handicapper, and what's more he ran his best race yet when second over three miles here last month. He conceded first run to I'll Be Frank that day, only to close all the way to the line once he got going, failing by three-parts of a length. Over a trip that should prove at least as suitable today, Saddlers Mot has a real chance of making amends raised just 3 lb.
Timeform UK SmartPlays
All at Hexham
Back Merlin's Wish @ 2.789/5 in the 14:10
Back Cavite Eta @ 4.84/1 in the 14:40
Back Saddlers Mot @ 9.617/2 in the 15:10
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