Wednesday Racing Tips: Spirit could haunt favourite backers

A relatively quiet day on Wednesday with just three meetings in total across Britain, a pair of afternoon jump fixtures accompanied by an evening AW Flat card from Kempton.

First off is Hereford at 14:00, closely followed by Huntingdon at 14:15. A bumper eight-race card from Kempton gets underway at 16:55. Amongst our Wednesday fancies is one trainer Eve Johnson Houghton, who shaped with huge promise on his sole start as a juvenile in a race that’s worked out well.

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14:15 Huntingdon - Donttellyamumjack @ 5/1

A half-brother to six individual winners, there’s little doubt that the Fergal O’Brien-trained DONTTELLYAMUMJACK has been disappointing, the five-year-old failing to kick on from what was a promising bumper debut at Hereford in February last year.

However, he wasn’t devoid of support ahead of his handicap debut when a distant fourth over 2m7f at Uttoxeter on New Year’s Eve and warrants another chance off the same mark of 83.

He was never involved at odds of 9/1 last time, but he did stick on from the second-last and should be helped by this longer trip and more galloping track.

15:15 Huntingdon - Flying Pimpernel @ 10/3

This isn’t the strongest mares’ maiden hurdle ever run and it should provide the Jamie Snowden-trained FLYING PIMPERNEL winnable opportunity.

The five-year-old daughter of Elusive Pimpernel showed some fair form in bumpers, finishing second on her debut at Fontwell and third at Plumpton, either side of a lesser effort at Bangor.

She ran to a Racing Post Rating of 98 at Plumpton and, although well below that level on her hurdling bow at Catterick a fortnight ago, there were signs the penny was beginning to drop as she turned into the home straight.

She wasn’t given a hard time on that occasion and should take a big step forward this time, helped by this more conventional track.

17:30 Kempton - Spirit Of Saxonby @ 10/3

This looks a warm race, the market likely to be headed by the 93-rated New Monarch, but there was a lot to like about the run of SPIRIT OF SAXONBY on his debut at Salisbury in June and he’s a fascinating contender for Eve Johnson Houghton.

The selection, a brother to Italian 6f winner Pure Circle, he was all at sea through greenness in the early stages over 6f at the Wiltshire track, but rallied entering the final quarter-mile and came home strongly to snatch a place, despite being held up on a couple of occasions in his run.

That was a massive run, far better than the Racing Post Rating of 78 implies, with the majority of those that finished in and around him now rated in the high 80s and fourth-placed Orion’s Belt now 97.

He’s not been seen since has subsequently been gelded, which is a bit of a worry, but he’s certainly worthy of a small interest.

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