Plumpton Racing Tips

A runner-up effort at Fontwell on debut for new trainer Dr Richard Newland is likely to see Lawtop Legend popular here but a forecast price close to evens is tough to accept about a nine-year-old with one win in 22 previous starts. Ding Ding therefore is preferred as a six-time hurdles winner that has finished third on her last two starts, including four weeks ago over this C&D. Sabrina West's mare is a solid contender.

Diligent is the starting point here, Nigel Hawke's charge having won all three starts in April by a combined tally of 68 lengths. All of those wins came at 2m3½f and beyond (one of them here) and so he's got to prove as efficient at this shortened trip, whilst also now being rated 29lb higher than when his sequence began. Iconic Muddle is closing in on a chase win, Gary Moore's charge having been third at Warwick (2m, soft) in December on first attempt and second last month at Huntingdon (2m½f, good) next start. He's a course winner over hurdles and looks well placed for this.

Four times a winner over hurdles in 2020, Playa Blanca was outclassed in the Morebattle Hurdle at Kelso in March on his opening run of this year and then ran a poor race at Fakenham a fortnight later. Last month's C&D second was a big step in the right direction and suggests he's fully capable of scoring over this trip. He's only 2lb above his previous win-mark and the forecast decent ground will be ideal for him. Bard Of Brittany rather flopped in his hat-trick attempt at Sandown a fortnight ago but still looks a credible threat.

A C&D winner in 2019, Plantagenet found himself high enough in the ratings for a long while after that and his form was in and out as a result. He finally dropped below that win-mark of 114 last month and he ran a good race in defeat at Fontwell (3m2f, good) in a higher grade than this one. The assessor has relinquished another 3lb for this Plumpton return and that gives rise to the notion that Seamus Mullins' charge can have a major say off top weight as he drops in class.