Timeform 1-2-3 Tips / Simon Baker / 06 February 2011 /

Leopardstown has fallen by the wayside, but today's two British NH meetings go ahead, and we have bets at both venues...

There aren't too many you could give much of a chance to in the juvenile hurdle that opens the card at Fontwell (13:20), and of the handful that do hold claims, Kuilsriver looks the one to be with. He made his hurdling debut in a better race than this at Kempton on King George day and, though he clearly benefitted from being able to set a modest tempo, ran to a fair level of form in splitting two highly touted newcomers from top yards. The way Kuilsriver was rallying at the finish at Kempton suggests today's slight step up in trip will suit and with improvement on the cards he should be up to getting off the mark.

There's a pretty good chance that the two-and-a-half-mile handicap hurdle at Musselburgh (14:00) is going to be a well-run affair, and that looks sure to play to the strengths of Altan Khan, who was last seen finding plenty to win a two-mile event at this track back in November. Altan Khan is 8 lb higher now, but that looks well within his reach, particularly as the step up in trip is going to suit judged on both running style and pedigree, and he's worth backing to prove the point at around the [5.0] mark.

Brian Ellison has runners in four of the seven races at Musselburgh today and the one with perhaps the strongest claims is Elite Land in the two-mile handicap chase at 16:10. Elite Land last ran over jumps at Wetherby in November, finishing a creditable close-up fourth despite making late mistakes and demonstrating that a mark in the high 110s isn't necessarily beyond him. His only outing since came on the Flat at Southwell in January where he ran just about as well as he ever has on the level, and he returns to jumps 1 lb lower than at Wetherby, with Danny Cook taking off a further 3 lb. You couldn't rule out any of the runners in today's race, but Elite Land is definitely the most solid of them, and is worth taking at around [4.3] with that in mind.

Reccomendations

Back Kuilsriver @ [3.1] Fontwell 13:20
Back Altan Khan @ [4.8] Musselburgh 14:00
Back Elite Land @ [4.4] Musselburgh 16:10

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