RPR IMPROVERS

Horses we believe have plenty to come

WHEN looking for wellhandicapped improvers over jumps there are several avenues to explore.

Second-season chasers are an obvious source. Still relatively lightly raced over fences and open to further improvement, the likes of

Imperial Alcazar, Brave Seasca, The Widdow

Maker, Movethechains and

Revels Hill all have RPRs upwards of 6lb in advance of their official marks and are probably capable of a fair bit better.

Similarly, hurdlers embarking on chasing campaigns can prove to be a long way ahead of their marks. Recent runaway Bangor winner Kepy Blanc is a good example of this and, despite a double-digit rise from an opening mark of 84, the Philip Hobbstrained seven-year-old remains a long way ahead of his mark.

Smart hurdlers Hillcrest and Soaring Glory can also rate significantly higher as chasers.

Recent Cesarewitch fifth

Ahorsewithnoname has progressed significantly on the Flat since last racing over jumps. Still a novice after six starts over hurdles, an official rating of 132 is a reasonable reflection of her best run over jumps, but a current Flat RPR of 99 suggests she could be upwards of 10lb well in over hurdles.

Perhaps the richest source of improvers is to be found among lightly raced hurdlers and, when they already look well handicapped, it’s an obvious bonus.

I Am Maximus already boasts an RPR of 142, 8lb ahead of his official mark, and, after just four runs over hurdles, is surely capable of better. Similar remarks apply to the Hobbs-trained pair Pulling Stumps and Iberio.

Marble Sands and

Dubrovnik Harry, second and third in Sandown’s EBF Final, have plenty of potential off their marks if kept to hurdling, and the first-named is still a novice.

Anyharminasking beat Constitution Hill when pointing and, after a few sighters, showed muchimproved form when bolting up in handicaps at Sedgefield at Catterick. He remains ahead of his mark.

The Nick Alexandertrained Ginger Mail ,ahalfbrother to the 140+ hurdler/ chaser Elvis Mail, impressed when scoring at Doncaster in February, and with an RPR of 122 looks well treated off 114.