Winless in his last five and ranked 9th of 10 on our figures, his recent handicap form has been modest — a well-beaten effort at Downpatrick last time where he was pressed too hard too soon. Tongue-tie and cheekpieces on for the first time; his hunter-chase figures will not translate directly to this level.
Form last 6585P-7
★AI Rating★☆☆☆☆
72SR—RPR100OR—Votes
✦AI verdict
A Saturday Rating of 72, combined with a poor form reading of 585P-7, 16/1 odds, and top weight of 12-0 makes Shantou Show an unappealing selection.
Off the track for 143 days after being pulled up at Doncaster; first-time cheekpieces as he returns to competition. His two recent wins came over different codes and the trip and going suit, but the current chase mark asks more after a lengthy absence and the form requires updating.
Form last 61216P-
★AI Rating★☆☆☆☆
74SR—RPR90OR—Votes
✦AI verdict
A Saturday Rating of 74, distant 16/1 odds, and recent form including a pull-up make You Did a weak contender carrying 11-4.
Two wins on the bounce and clearly in fine form — the latest a narrow success here under a positive front-running ride at a 7lb lower mark. Raised again in the weights but the course, trip and good ground all suit; tongue-tie on first time. Looks the one to beat.
Form last 6366-11
★AI Rating★★★☆☆
91SR—RPR89OR—Votes
✦AI verdict
Recent form shows back-to-back wins, but 11-3 weight and 91 Saturday Rating limit confidence despite 2/1 odds.
Course form from 12 months ago is genuinely appealing — he landed this race last year — and today's trip and going suit; blinkers and tongue-tie applied first time in an attempt to reverse a run of poor recent efforts. His most recent start here was well below that earlier level.
Form last 6P9P-67
★AI Rating★★☆☆☆
73SR—RPR84OR—Votes
✦AI verdict
Carrying top weight 10-12 with poor form P9P-67 and a weak Saturday Rating of 73 at 12/1 suggests minimal winning prospects.
Third at this trip and going when things went right in his last five starts, but also pulled up on three occasions; he has a history of not applying himself fully and that unreliability makes him difficult to trust. Winless in his last five and ranked mid-field on our figures.
Form last 64PP-3P
★AI Rating★☆☆☆☆
68SR—RPR83OR—Votes
✦AI verdict
Rated just 68 with form showing three non-completions and dismissed by the market at 14/1, Lights Are Green offers no winning case.
Parted company with his rider early at this track last time out, adding to consecutive unseating runs; our lowest-ranked runner with plenty to prove and winless in recent starts. First-time cheekpieces and he handles sound ground, but more secure jumping is essential.
Form last 6405U-U
★AI Rating★☆☆☆☆
54SR—RPR83OR—Votes
✦AI verdict
A Saturday Rating of 54, 33/1 odds, and form showing two unseated finishes make Blazing Court a deeply unconvincing betting proposition.
Second in a handicap hurdle last time, settling for the scraps before keeping on to go under by 10 lengths; back chasing now with first-time blinkers after 54 days away. Winless in his last four starts and has more to prove over fences, though the trip and going suit.
Form last 60P/2-2
★AI Rating★★☆☆☆
81SR—RPR82OR—Votes
✦AI verdict
Star Turn's modest Saturday Rating of 81, 15/2 odds, and form showing no wins from four runs justify only 2 stars.
A step in the right direction at Hexham last time, beaten just two lengths off a mark 2lb lower than today's; first-time blinkers are applied. Unreliable on his record — twice pulled up in his last five — but his better efforts suggest the handicapper has been lenient at this trip.
Form last 6P9P/72
★AI Rating★★☆☆☆
77SR—RPR78OR—Votes
✦AI verdict
Carrying 10-6 with a Saturday Rating of just 77 and poor form reading P9P/72 makes 15/2 poor value.
Racing prominently last time, he gave the closers too much room and was beaten 11 lengths off a mark 2lb above today's; first-time cheekpieces and a trainer in form. Point-to-point ability suggests there is more in the locker than his hurdles mark reflects — a genuine danger.
Form last 6PP31-4
★AI Rating★★★☆☆
76SR—RPR76OR—Votes
✦AI verdict
Aill Dubh's 76 Saturday Rating and inconsistent PP31-4 form justify mid-tier 3/5 stars despite fair 13/2 odds.
Took a handicap here last time by a neck off a mark just 1lb above today's, and his profile is clearly on an upward curve; the course, trip and going all suit and he arrives on a fractionally lower mark today. A genuine danger to the selection.
Form last 654-F31
★AI Rating★★★☆☆
85SR—RPR75OR—Votes
✦AI verdict
Rated 85 with solid recent form (31 finish) at 3/1 and 10-3 weight suggests mid-tier contention, not dominance.
Prices update each odds sync. Green ▼ = shortened (steamer),
Red ▲ = drifted, Blue = = unchanged since last sync.
Best column highlights the bookmaker offering the longest price.
Halfway House Lad owns one of the strongest chamber scores in this field. The Balanced lens likes the blend of SR strength (51) and market confidence (91). The profile stays composed even after the chamber introduces race-day variance.
2/1James MoffattLeah Noreci(10)
68%Confidence
⚠ Danger Runner
Kingofthegame
Nearest rival if the simulation drifts off the primary path.
2/1 · Martin Todhunter✓ Value Signal
Croagh Patrick
Strongest upside if you want a less obvious route through the field.
22/1 · Gillian Boanas◈ Chamber Memory
Balanced
Even weighting across form, market confidence and race-day volatility.
Halfway House Lad (SR 91, 2/1) arrives on the back of back-to-back wins (form: 366-11), the strongest recent form in the field, and his SR of 91 is comfortably the highest. Despite carrying 11-3, a significant weight burden in this company, his recent winning sequence on Good ground over staying trips confirms he is at peak fitness. Trainer James Moffatt has him clearly in form, and the market has installed him as a clear favourite with confidence — not drift — suggesting stable confidence. The 6lb weight concession to Kingofthegame (SR 85, 10-3) is a genuine concern, but Halfway House Lad's momentum and superior SR justify the call.
Each-way alternative: Kingofthegame.
Main danger: Kingofthegame — Kingofthegame (SR 85, 3/1) carries a featherweight 10-3 — 14lb less than Halfway House Lad — and his form of 54-F31 shows two consecutive placed/winning efforts at the end of his sequence, and at 11 years younger in competitive terms he has the weight advantage to compensate for his SR deficit.
ShortlistHalfway House Lad, Kingofthegame, Aill Dubh