Warwick Tips: Bob can boost Murphy’s purple patch

There's an action-packed, six-race card to get stuck into at Warwick on Wednesday, with the red-hot Olly Murphy stable targeting the meeting with a number of strong contenders.

My Warwick tips includes two for the Stratford handler - including a novice chaser having his second start over the bigger obstacles.

13.00 - Solar System @ 10/3

SOLAR SYSTEM was well-backed on his seasonal return when third in a competitive handicap hurdle at Chepstow at the end of October and the JP McManus-owned five-year-old is taken to build on that in this Warwick opener.

This is a race for conditionals and the first positive is the booking of the highly-touted Callum Pritchard, who takes off 5Ib yet has already shown himself to be a potential star of the future with big-race wins including in the Badger Beer at Wincanton aboard Al Dancer.

Solar System travelled like a horse well ahead of his mark of 103 at Chepstow before tying up on his first run for 175 days, but this looks easier and there are no fitness concerns this time around.

14.10 - Booster Bob @ 5/2

The Olly Murphy team are in a rich vein of form - they saddled four winners from eight runners on Monday - and BOOSTER BOB may provide them with another success in the feature Novices' Limited Handicap Chase.

Booster Bob always looked like the type to step forward once switched to fences and he made a winning chase debut at Ffos Las in October, jumping professionally before scooting clear to win by two lengths after the last.

A 6Ib rise looks fair enough for that given the manner of the performance and on hurdles form he has the measure of Alan King’s chase debutant, Helnwein, who he is on better terms with despite beating him off level weights in a novice hurdle at Sandown last season.

15.54 - Ikarak @ 5/2

A trappy finale may go the way of IKARAK, who makes his first start for Murphy and who will have the services of the power-packed Sean Bowen on board.

This represents a drop in grade for Ikarak, formerly with Anthony Charlton, who has contested big handicaps at Cheltenham and Newbury on his last two starts.

The six-year-old has proven himself to go fresh in the past, so the 284-day lay-off should be of no real concern, while his novice hurdle form reads exceptionally well in terms of his mark of 117.

At Worcester last October Ikarak defeated the now 132-rated Doughmore Bay and that was over 2m7f - two furlongs less than here - under similar conditions, suggesting that he may be a well-handicapped horse.

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