Paddy Brennan: I still believe she is better than she has shown to date
Socksy
She has run three creditable efforts in defeat since winning for me over this trip at Ayr in October, finishing a good second at Haydock at the end of last month. She steps down in trip here on better ground – and all her best form has been in testing conditions – but hopefully she won’t find things happening too quickly for her and the first-time blinkers will help.
Oscar Rose
I thought she was coming to take a hand in the finish 2 out at Newbury last time, only for her run to flatten out a bit in the ground. But her sixth there was a decent effort all the same, and the handicapper certainly thought so too, as she has gone up 3lb in the weights for it. The winner did run very well at Aintree, though. I still believe she is better than she has shown to date over hurdles, though, and it could be this better ground is the key to her progressing. It was good ground when she was only just touched off by Dame Rose in an Aintree bumper last season, after all.
Jennys Surprise
She has come back from a mini-break in great form, winning at Ffos Las and then losing out only to a well-handicapped horse in Henri Parry Morgan in the West Wales Grand National at the same course last time. She has gone up another 1lb for that and runs on much different ground here, but she has winning form on good to soft and she comes here in great nick, as I said.
Tashunka
She didn’t show a great deal in points, if truth be told, but she ran a really encouraging race when second to a very promising horse of Harry Fry’s at Market Rasen last month. She will hopefully have learned a lot from that, and I think she will go very well here. She impressed me at Market Rasen. I have just seen the Fry horse, Definitelyanoscar, is in here as well, so let’s hope we can reverse the form on 4lb better terms!
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