Advised SATURDAY MORNING 2ND NOVEMBER

A very competitive handicap hurdle made all the harder with Nicky Henderson sending over short priced favourite Rathhill who is totally unexposed. Hearts and Trumps ran well for us in a similar handicap at the Listowel festival but has top weight and would prefer better ground. The same applies to Curious Times so in the end I sided with the Willie Mullins trained Janidil. On New Year’s Day he ran well on soft ground when runner up to a decent horse named Notebook at Tramore. That was his first run since coming from France and he was given some time before winning cosily last month at Tipperary. He hurdled well at Tipperary and can step forward again running in his first handicap off a mark of 125 carrying 10-10 with Mark Walsh riding.

Compare Odds at https://www.oddschecker.com/horse-racing/

Only five runners line up for this Grade 2 chase and I think it might finally be a good day for Mengli Khan. He finished ahead of Real Steel in the JLT Novices chase at the Cheltenham Festival travelling well and bang in contention with Lostintranslation and Defi Du Seuil until tiring from the last fence to the line. He backed that Cheltenham run up with a solid run at the Aintree festival when third behind Kalashnikov and La Bague Au Roi. Both those runs were in Grade 1 class over 2m4f trips. Connections decided to keep him busy with a run on the flat at the Royal Meeting and then a run in the Galway Plate. He ran well carrying a big weight in the Plate but hit the fourth last hard and just didn’t really get up the hill. He’s been freshened up for this assignment and I think the 2m3.5f trip will prove ideal as he is such a good travelling horse at his best.

Compare Odds at https://www.oddschecker.com/horse-racing/

Guided By You should be ready for this having finished second here over 2m3f on yielding ground three weeks ago. He galloped on strongly from well behind that day and is sure to enjoy going out in trip to three miles. Another big positive is the soft going as he won a maiden hurdle over three miles at Cork on heavy ground. A few of these would have preferred good ground and with 10-10 on his back and not exposed over fences it is the Noel Meade trained runner that we back. It’s not often we back favourites but they have landed three of the past five renewals.

Compare Odds at https://www.oddschecker.com/horse-racing/

**Next Selections due Date & Time:

Sunday Morning 3rd November ~10:00