This 0-60 apprentice handicap over 1m½f does not look a deep race, and the market has already latched on to the right pair. The key form is the course-and-distance contest here 10 days ago, where Pessoa beat Book Of Life by a neck, and it would be no surprise at all if those two dominate…

This is not a race to get clever in. It is a modest Class 5 handicap hurdle, full of runners with questions to answer, so the best approach is to focus on the horse with the strongest recent piece of form for this exact test.That points straight to Prairie Diamond.He shaped better than the bare…

This does not look a deep race and there is no point dressing it up as one. Most of the field arrive with holes in their profile, poor recent form, or something to prove over fences. In that sort of contest, the sensible play is to side with the horse bringing the strongest current case…

The 4.30 at Plumpton, the John Ellis Memorial Handicap Hurdle, is not a deep race, but it is an interesting one. With just six runners and very little obvious pace on paper, this looks likely to turn tactical. In that sort of contest, position matters, and the horse most likely to be suited by the…

The 4.20 at Stratford is not a race to overcomplicate. It is a small-field Class 4 handicap chase over an extended 2m6f on soft ground, and the answer is very likely to come from the top end of the market.For me, Jeu D’Opale is the one to beat.Venetia Williams’ gelding comes here off the back…

The 4.10 at Taunton is not a deep Class 5 handicap hurdle, and that usually means one thing: side with the horse who is still improving rather than the ones we already know plenty about.That points firmly to Walkinthepresent.With Special John taken out, this race has lost its most obvious solid contender. What is left…

This is hardly a vintage Class 5, but that does at least make the shape of the race easier to read. In a small-field staying handicap chase with very little obvious pace, the answer may be the simplest one: Scottish King looks the most likely winner.He comes here off the back of a Market Rasen…

This is not a race to overcomplicate.The winner should come from the three at the head of the market, and for me Cher Monsieur is the one who makes the most appeal. He arrives here after getting off the mark at Newcastle in a competitive 16-runner handicap and, more importantly, he did it the right…

This is not a race full of secrets. It is a small-field handicap chase over nearly three miles, and the market has already done a fair job of pointing us towards the right horses. The question is not whether there are chances all round, because there are, but which runner is most likely to turn…

The 3.30 at Plumpton is a small-field staying handicap hurdle, but it is not lacking in depth. Even so, this looks a race with a clear centre, and Ferret Jeeter is the one who makes most appeal.Anthony Honeyball’s nine-year-old comes here after a decisive course-and-distance win last month and that piece of form gives him…