Both of Wednesday's selections ran below what was expected.
Minella Rescue was the more fancied runner of the day, and despite taking a small drift in the market he did run with credit. He was held up, and tried to rally up the long straight at Haydock but looked in need of further.
As for the other runner, the horse looked very one-paced and didn't manage to get involved in the race at all.
Rizzel's tips
Topofthecotswolds – Sedgefield 3.10
It could be very foolish to try to take on a Sean Bowen favourite at a track that his father does very well at, but I think the favourite can be taken on despite having some strong form from his previous performances.
I am taking a chance on Topofthecotswold who would have run away with the win if this was a couple of years ago, but time waits for no one and his form has taken a nose dive. As horses get older, it is expected that they regress, but as a result, he is now on a very attractive handicap mark and is worth having a punt on at decent odds.
Ollie Pears has only had Topofthecotswolds for a short amount of time and he has sent this horse over hurdles on his two starts for the stable, going off at 100/1 and 150/1 on the two occasions, so clearly not much was to be expected. He ran how the odds suggested, but it's interesting that they revert back to fences and getting Brian Hughes on board is a significant booking. Brian is one of Ollie Pears' go-to jockeys whenever he has a jumps runner, but given Brian has been on Super Citizen for his last five runs and has been hitting the frame, it's of notice that he deserted that horse and is on my selection, especially with Brian's wife being the trainer of Super Citizen.
I can't say with 100% confidence that this horse stays the trip, but he has won over 3m 1f in the past and with this being a small field I can't imagine they're going to set a frantic pace. He appreciates good ground which he will be getting today, and I thought at the prices, he was worth a shot.
Synchronist – Sedgefield 4.53
I am a big fan of Nigel Hawke when he sends his horse on big trips from his Devon base, but his form this season hasn't been anywhere near the level he'd want it to be, especially with his long-distance travellers, so I've gone for the Sarah Humphrey horse over the Hawke runner.
My selection, Synchronist is the one of the least exposed runner in the race, so it's probably why he is the towards the head of the market. He won on his handicap debut at Southwell last time out under Sean Bowen and has been hiked up 8lbs in the handicap as a result of the 3.5L victory. That added weight makes life much more difficult, and against some fairly solid horses, but given Sarah Humphrey is willing to travel with him (alongside one more runner on the card), suggests they feel like he is still ahead of the handicapper. The form of the recent win looks decent, as the runner-up has won on her next start.
Sean Bowen is a key factor for this horse as his strike rate when riding for this stable in the last five years is impeccable. He has had four winners from nine attempts for Sarah Humphrey, producing a profit of +14.60 to a £1 level stake, with him being 3/6 this season.
GambleAware