Bangor-on-Dee Racing Tips

An open looking handicap chase to start the meeting. Yggdrasil is likely to be a popular choice given his unexposed profile and low weight, but he will have his work cut out against some seasoned campaigners and so it may be worth chancing the top weight, TIQUER.  He is a 13-year-old and has had his issues, but with only 22 career starts, he has very few miles on the clock. He made a perfectly reasonable comeback at Newton Abbot 3 weeks ago when finishing third to Arian, beaten just 6-lengths and he now races in Class 4 for the first time in almost 5 years. Daryl Jacob has been booked for the ride and he makes some decent place appeal.

The Glancing Queen will no doubt be well fancied for the feature race, but she hasn’t been the soundest jumper over hurdles and is worth opposing on her chase debut. COULD BE TROUBLE arrives here having completed a hat-trick over hurdles last month and although she fell on her last start in Irish points, she was about to bolt up that day at Boulta and could be capable of winning at this level on her first start over fences under rules. Donald McCain is on a tremendous run of form (35% Strike Rate last 14 days) and there is every reason to believe she could add to the stables recent successes.

Another deep race with plenty of experienced campaigners making their seasonal returns. Whilst the race is open on paper, it may be worth chancing WINDSOR AVENUE. Brian Ellison was very confident that he was coming back to form when asked in a recent interview about his 9-year-old for Sky Sports Racing. He has a very solid record on the back of a break, including when getting within three lengths of Imperial Aura in the Colin Parker Memorial at Carlisle on his comeback last season and he is fairly treated on a mark of 143 if he can rediscover his form.

None of the runners with racecourse experience leap off the page, so it may be worth chancing SAINT SEGAL. His dam was a very talented hurdler in France and his half-sister has also won over timber this season, so there is hope that he could be above average. The Williams team have excellent contacts in France and have a long history of recruiting nice hurdlers from across the channel.

HERMES BOY chased home subsequent Cheltenham winner I Like To Move It when finishing 2^nd at Worcester 5 weeks ago. It is also worth noting that he ran well on debut over this Course and Distance on his bumper debut last season and if he can build on his debut over timber, he should win this race that looks to lack any real depth.

A wide-open renewal of this race, but it is still very hard to get away from GOOBINATOR. Donald McCain’s 5-year-old finished 4^th in the Cesarewitch behind Buzz at Newmarket last month, beaten 8-lengths and on that evidence, he looks to be exceptionally well-handicapped on a mark of 126 over hurdles. He won under Brian Hughes at Ayr last October, on the same mark as he can race off today and he looks to have a favourites chance.

This doesn’t look to be the deepest Novice hurdle so UNIVERSAL DAVE may well be able to shoulder a penalty and land a second career success. He was extremely impressive on his debut at Fontwell last month, travelling strongly and powering clear on the run-in without breaking sweat. On that evidence, he could well be above average, in which case he should be capable of giving away the weight.