Plumpton Tips: Stamina can win the day for Morfee

There's plenty of racing action in store on Monday, with four meetings across the UK and Ireland, and we are focusing on the jumps card from Plumpton.

They have six races at East Sussex venue, racing from 13:50-16:20 with conditions forecast to be 'Good to soft-soft in places' and we have picked out a trio of horses to follow over the afternoon.

They include Morfee for trainer Seamus Mullins, as his good form looks set to continue on his first attempt at a proper staying trip over fences.

15:50 Plumpton - Morfee @ SP

Stamina will be a key trait in this Class 4 handicap chase at Plumpton, with a journey of nearly three-and-a-quarter-miles awaiting the six runners.

The jostle for favouritism is likely to involve in-form pair MORFEE and No Hubs No Hoobs, with preference for the former in the hands of James Best for trainer Seamus Mullins.

He started this season 0-5 over fences but has shown an aptitude for the larger obstacles during his 2021/22 campaign.

That was a season that ended with hurdles scores at this venue and Newcastle, both over this sort of trip, a pointer towards his stamina.

He then missed some 561 days and was entitled to be rusty on his comeback over timber at Wincanton in October.

He showed the benefit of that and has since posted figures of 212 back chasing. December's Taunton win came over 2m7f and he was edged by the thinnest of margins here this month over 2m3½f on soft ground off a mark 3lb lower than this one.

Joe Tizzard's No Hubs No Hoobs comes here after successive runner-up finishes at Exeter and Wincanton over 3m/3m1f but the suspicion is that Morfee should excel himself at this trip for the first time as a chaser and that may be good enough to earn him the verdict.

16:20 Plumpton – Ferrybridge @ SP

The last of six races at Plumpton is a two-mile handicap hurdle in which FERRYBRIDGE is fancied to give trainer James Owen yet another winner in a hot spell for his string.

The Owen team remain in superb fettle amid a run of four winners from eight starters for a recent strike-rate of 50% though the disappointment in that sequence came on Saturday as Burdett Road was only second in a Triumph Hurdle Trial at Cheltenham.

He bumped into a clearly very talented winner in Sir Gino and Burdett Road did well to beat off the rest, so connections will feel there are still plenty of positives going forward despite losing their unbeaten jumping record.

Ferrybridge now gets his first chance to build on last month's Newcastle win over 2m1f on good ground as the ex-Irish performer notched his first win since joining this team.

Jamie Gambin, who once more claims 10lb, was on board for that success and his partner is rated only 3lb higher now. He should be fit to build on that win in this grade amongst a field of rivals that have plenty of questions over them.

14:50 Plumpton – Junkanoo @ SP

Earlier on the card, the Visit Irish Bloodstock Sales with ITM Novices' Hurdle should present JUNKANOO with a winning opportunity for local trainer Gary Moore.

He's been second in all three starts over timber thus far. The first of those was behind a promising sort in Doddiethegreat at Ascot in November, with that rival going close from a mark of 131 since on handicap bow.

He was then beaten over C&D by another promising rival in Goodwin in a race that has worked out well, while Junkanoo completed his trio of silver medals by giving Nicky Henderson's odds-on favourite Gentle Slopes a major scare at Kempton this month, with a nose splitting them at the post, with Goodwin behind in third this time.

This contest looks weaker on paper and Junkanoo should make good on the promise he has shown to date.

Find more Horse Racing Tips here at Betfred Insights.