There are five race meetings across the UK and Ireland on Wednesday, a three-strong National Hunt offering preceding two all-weather Flat cards. They jump at Warwick (12.25-3.50pm), Ffos Las (12.35-4.00) and Hexham (12.45-3.40), before the stalls open at Dundalk (1.45-5.45) and Wolverhampton (4.30-8.30).
2.35 Novice Hurdle (Class 4) 2m 5f
Seven go to post in this Class 4 novices hurdle over 2m 5f, with the form standard set by Push The Button, for Nigel Twiston-Davies. The four-year-old drops in class under a penalty after improving on his win in a 2m 4f maiden hurdle at Worcester when fourth in a Class 2 novice hurdle at Cheltenham.
While a reproduction of that form may suffice and the slightly longer trip may also suit, the expected testing ground may not be ideal and so preference goes to CHERIE D’AM, representing Dan Skelton, who has a 23 per cent strike-rate in non-handicap hurdles here with 41 winners from 176 runners.
Cherie D’Am has a 3-3 record, winning a 2m 4f point-to-point maiden, a 2m bumper at Uttoxeter and a 2m 3½f Class 3 novice hurdle at Wetherby by margins of 20, eight and five lengths respectively. She is entitled to improve on her last run and the slightly longer trip on similar ground is of little concern.
Big Fish, representing Emma Lavelle, merits consideration under a penalty for his likeable success on his hurdles debut at Exeter in October, but he is tackling a slightly longer trip on contrasting going.