3m½f Betfair Exchange Stayers’ Handicap Hurdle (Premier Handicap) (GBB Race) (Class 1) (4yo+)
It’s hard to rule anyone out with any confidence in the stayers handicap hurdle over at Haydock. Might I clearly has eye-catching formlines behind the likes of Jonbon, Constitution Hill and Three Stripe Life – all top novices last season. But he hasn’t necessarily shown himself to be the best jumper (yet) and has to defy inexperience plus a long layoff to win this ultra-competitive handicap. He may be the best of these in the long-run but there is enough to take him on at short odds.
Good Risk At All should relish the conditions and did look better than ever last time out so it would be no surprise to see him dot up if he stays the trip. But his price also looks a tad on the short side for how competitive this is and with the ground set to be testing two mud larks at nice prices come from the Nicholls and Pipe yard with COMPLETE UNKNOWN and BRINKLEY respectively looking overpriced.
Complete Unknown remains hugely unexposed with just the seven career starts. He put in a very taking performance over 2m 4f on soft ground to land a valuable Grade 3 Novice hurdle at Sandown last season, which often produces a number of classy individuals. In his trainer’s stable tour, he was called out as a “Dark Horse” for the season ahead and a mark of 135 looks very workable based on any amount of likely improvement to come this year.
We also want to take a punt on Brinkley bouncing back to form. He looked like a potentially high-class hurdler in the making during his 2020/2021 campaign. Brinkley put in a number of hugely taking performances in heavy going over staying distances and if the ground is as bad as it normally is at Haydock, then he could be galloping home relentelessy if returning to form.
Admittedly, his foray over fences last season didn’t go to plan and Brinkley has to come back to form after disappointing on his last hurdles start in February too, but he has dropped to a mark 2lbs below his last hurdles success and 10lbs below his mark from when he ran in the Pertemps on unsuitable ground at the Cheltenham Festival in 2021, so he must be well-handicapped. This looks like a really deliberate target from an in-form yard and he could be overlooked by the market.
1pt win Complete Unknown @10/1, 14:25 Haydock, Saturday
1pt win Brinkley @10/1, 14:25 Haydock, Saturday