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Aintree effort gives Heather leading claims
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Make it Minnie to upset hot Ascot favourite
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Catterick, 13:15 - Back Heather Honey @ 5/23.50
This 0-110 handicap hurdle is pretty competitive for the grade - especially when you consider it features three last time out winners and Catterick stalwart Bollin Neil completed a hat-trick on the level at the north Yorkshire track this summer.
You Some Girl has also won two of her three starts at today's venue so the task for Heather Honey isn't a simple one.
However, this contest does represent a marked drop in class for the selection who was last seen contesting a much loftier event at Aintree last time, won in good style by Ernest Gray and featuring non other than Saturday's Cheltenham winner Kikijo in fourth.
Heather Honey was made favourite to win that event and emerged with her reputation enhanced despite a five-length defeat as three places in front of her was Lihyan who has subsequently finished a rather unfortunate third behind Haiti Couleurs in a Pertemps qualifier at Newbury.
Surely a repeat of those efforts would make Heather Honey extremely difficult to beat here and, with two victories around Bangor's tight contours on her cv, this track should represent no issue.
Back Heather Honey
Ascot, 14:35 - Back Moveit Like Minnie each-way @ 9/25.50
Fortune De Mer was the recipient of an exquisite ride to prevail at Cheltenham last time and is likely to dominate the market for this Class 3 handicap.
Having made a rather below-par hurdling debut at Uttoxeter when sent off favourite - not uncommon for a novice from his yard this autumn - he was much more the real deal with the hood applied in Grade 2 company, edging out Doctor Blue and Jaminska in a tight finish.
Given his run style and quirky nature, Fortune De Mer will find the rigours of a race like the County Hurdle in March to his liking and, given there were only 16 runners in last year's renewal, he is virtually rated high enough to get in already off a mark of 124 (last year 127 was enough).
Connections will no doubt be looking to win here, gain a nice prize and a small rise in the handicap and put the five-year-old away until his primary target in the spring.
Given how the Skelton operation's best laid plans invariably seem to work out, the unexposed Doyen gelding is feared. However, he is yet to produce the level of form in handicaps that Moveit Like Minnie managed in a course and distance affair last time, behind subsequent Greatwood winner Alexei.
We witnessed at Cheltenham on Sunday the potent change of gear that Alexei possesses so Moveit Like Minnie posted one of his better efforts over hurdles to finish within three lengths of Joe Tizzard's star hurdler last time.
Fasol, in fifth, has also won since to endorse the form and, although Moveit Like Minnie is more exposed than most, he does a have a series of highly creditable course runs to his name in some warm handicaps.
Connections try him in just a visor here and, with Sam Twiston-Davies back aboard, he makes each-way appeal against a quirky favourite who has, to date, saved his best for Cheltenham.
Back Moveit Like Minnie each-way