ALTIOR or Cyrname? Bristol De Mai or Lostintranslation? Or Frodon?

Or Ballyoptic?

We’ll be a lot wiser this evening, that’s for sure. Some day ahead.

The graduation chase at Haydock is also interesting. Midnight Shadow was a high-class staying hurdler last season, he won the Relkeel Hurdle and he was sent off as fifth favourite for the Stayers’ Hurdle at Cheltenham.

He was well-beaten there, but he shaped encouragingly on his debut over fences at Carlisle last month, in a good beginners’ chase in which Brewin’upastorm just got the better of Good Boy Bobby – both winners since too – before getting tired.

And he probably would have won a graduation chase back at Carlisle last time, it looked like he has just got the better of Djingle when they both fell at the final fence.

Rated 155 over hurdles, Sue Smith’s horse sets a good standard here, and it makes sense that he is favourite.

Chaser

The Hollow Ginge is rated just 132 over hurdles, but in two runs over fences he already looks like a better chaser than hurdler, and he has the potential to be better still.

Nigel Twiston-Davies’ horse jumped well on his chasing bow at Worcester at the end of September and ran out an good winner, before stepping into a novices’ handicap chase at Aintree last time and, racing off a mark of 137, putting up a really good performance to run Henry de Bromhead’s progressive chaser Plan Of Attack to a head.

He gets weight from three of his four rivals today, and he goes well on soft ground. As well as that, he goes well at the track, and he goes well on soft ground at the track. His best performance over hurdles was in a staying handicap hurdle on heavy ground at Haydock last December, when he travelled like the most likely winner from a long way out, and kept on well to win nicely.

All five runners have chances here but, in his first-time cheekpieces, The Hollow Ginge could be the value.

Vic value

And Honest Vic could be the value in the Betfair Exchange Handicap Hurdle. Henry Daly’s horse didn’t win at all last season, but he was only beaten a head by Brio Conti in a handicap hurdle at Ascot in February off a mark of 122, when he had Ballyandy and Mallaya behind him.

He ran far better than his finishing position suggests in another handicap hurdle at Cheltenham in April off a mark of 126.

He made nice ground from the rear and he was challenging, he might have gone close to winning, had he not made a bad mistake at the final flight.

Progress

He was game in victory at Market Rasen on his debut this season. He made nice progress behind the leaders on the run to the second last flight, he jumped to the front over the last and he just kept on well enough to hold the renewed effort of Skandiburg.

The pair of them pulled well clear, and the runner-up stayed on well to win a Pertemps qualifier at Aintree next time off a 4lb higher mark.

The handicapper raised Honest Vic by 6lbs to a mark of 132, but Skandiburg is now rated 12lbs higher than he was at Market Rasen.

Also, while Honest Vic has run 12 times over hurdles, he is only six, and he has a nice progressive profile. His last four runs have been the four best runs of his life, and his latest, his seasonal debut, was probably a career-best.

He should be able to step forward from that too, his first run since April.

Whoshotthesheriff was prominent and travelling well when he fell at the second last in Benny’s Bridge’s race at Cheltenham last time, and Project Bluebook was going strongly in front last time at Wetherby when he ran out at the third last flight.

Both are players in today’s race, but this is a good trip for Honest Vic, and he is the bet.

Recommended

The Hollow Ginge, 1 point win, 1.15 Haydock, 4/1 (generally)

Honest Vic, 1 point win, 1.50 Haydock, 13/2 (generally)