Wednesday Racing Tips: Forecast is bright for Scorchio

Three of the four meetings across the UK and Ireland on Wednesday are over jumps as they go at Hereford, Kelso and Wetherby, then an early-evening card from Dundalk.

Amongst our Wednesday fancies is an in-form juvenile who is expected to resume her progression on this return to the minimum trip at Dundalk.

12:40 Wetherby - Missed Tee @ 7/2

The opening Class 4 1m7f novice handicap chase at Wetherby is an intriguing five-runner contest and the Dan Skelton-trained mare Missed Tee is expected to go particularly well on her second start over regulation fences.

She won an Irish point comfortably on soft in December 2021 and has won twice since over hurdles for Skelton.

She won a Uttoxeter maiden hurdle in December 2022 and followed up in a Hereford novice handicap off a mark of 109 in January.

The daughter of Fame And Glory has been dropped 2lb to a mark of 111 after her fourth of nine on her debut over regulation fences at Carlisle in October, but she was making her first start since a breathing operation and can be expected to last out her race much more strongly on this occasion.

The winner has franked the form since and this represents a good opportunity for the selection to register a first chasing success under Rules.

13:50 Wetherby - Jet Legs @ 15/8

Lastly, Jet Legs makes plenty of appeal in the Class 4 3m handicap chase on the Wetherby card.

Trainer Martin Todhunter is an encouraging enough 7-39 in handicap chases on this course.

Jet Legs is expected to make a better chaser than hurdler and he won twice over hurdles for Todhunter earlier in the year over 3m on this course on good and over 3m2f on soft at Kelso.

The form of his Carlisle fourth on his debut over regulation fences after a break in October has been franked subsequently by the third, and this step back up in trip on testing ground should prove ideal.

15:25 Dundalk - Scorchio @ 11/10

Jack Davison has a 10% strike-rate with his runners on the Polytrack at Dundalk, and Scorchio became one of his most recent winners on the course when appreciating the drop back to the 5f after a small break there in October.

The daughter of the Australian sire Kuroshio was making her second start in handicap company and produced a progressive success, only having to be pushed out to register her first victory.

She was ridden by the then 7lb-claiming jockey Wesley Joyce and he was replaced by another claimer when she was stepped up to 6f on this course on her latest start. Her progression stalled with a relatively close third on that occasion.

The reason for optimism in this race is the likelihood of her resuming her improvement back over the minimum trip, and with Wesley Joyce resuming his association, albeit he can only claim 5lb off her this time around.

Two horses are worth mentioning as possible dangers. Mary Shoelaces should also go well if the first-time blinkers have a positive effect, and the handicap debutant Tarsus should have more to offer over this course-and-distance provided the first-time tongue-tie aids his cause.