Cobden and Hosie to team up again

West Country

James Stevens

HARRY COBDEN is doing all he can in pursuit of winners in the early part of the season and can continue a promising start to the campaign with success aboard Hunting Percival in the Talk Tidy Marketing Handicap Hurdle at Newton Abbot on Wednesday.

Syd Hosie is one of a few yards giving him plenty of opportunities and he is 2-6 when riding for the stable this season. Hunting Percival was sent off at 80-1 a week ago, but shaped with plenty of promise at this venue when second to the in-form Sherborne.

Here the eight-year-old benefits from racing off a 7lb mark, appears to handle this better ground well and is in a significantly weaker contest. He can give Cobden another winner.

Balko Saint was unlucky to bump into a well-supported rival returning to form off a reduced mark at Worcester last time, but he can make it third time lucky after successive seconds in the Visit attheraces.com Novices’ Handicap Chase on the card.

The six-year-old shaped well in defeat and was well clear of the third but was conceding weight to Courtland who was far too good on the day. His run before that was similarly encouraging and he can collect in this fairly moderate four-runner heat.

Gloucestershire-based John O’Shea can also strike on the card with Just The Man in the Andy Blight And His Amigos Handicap Hurdle.

The seven-year-old appears to need better ground to be at his best and he returned to form when second at Ffos Las last time out. That was in a fairly poor race but he is dangerously handicapped on the pick of his form from last season – much of which came at Ludlow, another sharp circuit. He looks primed for a big run with Sean Bowen a notable booking.

Desert can strike for Malcolm Saunders in the Reecer Group Handicap at Chepstow on Saturday. The four-year-old is another who relishes a quicker surface and she has a strong chance on the form of her excellent third here last week. She may have been closer than a length and a half, too, had she had a clear run, so she remains well treated off the same mark for a yard in excellent form.

Also worth noting

Gentleman Valley (Ben Pauling) in the 3.20 at Market Rasen on Friday