PLACESPOTTER (Ian) - Kelso 3.40 Handicap Hurdle - Class 5 - 2 miles 5 furlongs - Good - 12 run

 

A glut of money it would seem on 2 from David Jeffreys yard THE GOLD BUG and GETAMAN. It's hard to see what the fuss is about, Getaman won 3 moderate P2P races, then 3 poor runs under Rules and 447 days off, unless it's found some uncharted form or we are into Flockton Grey territory it's all very baffling. Similarly The Gold Bug has shown no discernable form in 3 poor Hurdle runs and the addition of cheek-pieces would seem no more than a shot in the dark.

 

Of those with proven form GOLAN CLOUD who won the race in 2020 and has run twice sine finishing second and third looks solid enough, the only niggle would be the Going but if the punt on the other pair continued and this one went 5/2 or higher I would be having a "win saver" 

 

Joie De Vivre is a solid and consistent horse but better I would suggest over shorter and Emmisaire showed a glimmer of promise for Lucinda Russell after almost a year off last time out, and would rate the biggest danger to the selections.

 

SWEET VINETTA seems out of form but won off marks of 105 in December 2018, 106 in October 2019, and was placed off a mark of 108 in January 2020. It's come down to a mark of 98 and the booking of Brian Hughes for Gillian Bonas looks compelling in the context of the race. I'd get on early and take a price.

 

Of the remainder, a shrapnel bet on BUTTEVANT LADY at big Odds may be of interest to those who are happy to play that strategy, it has NO real UK form yet but if you delve back deep enough in to Irish P2P fields it has beaten a 108 rated Irish Hurdler and also an 88 rated UK winner now with Rebecca Menzies so there is some ability there as yet untapped and having had a wind op and off a mark of 95, it certainly has far better actual form claims than the pair being backed!!

 

It's a crazy world, let's see what happens.