It is great to see the increased prize money on offer at Sedgefield on Friday, with four of the eight races worth in advance of £10.000 each, and the other four races for lower grade horses still at a respectable level, this is a step in the right direction, and any further increases will only be good for the sport as a whole. The going at Sedgefield at the time of writing is soft, good to soft in places.
First up at 12.50.pm, is the ex Irish Bulldoze who will make his stable and British debut in a 0-120 novices handicap chase over two miles and five furlongs with Alain Cawley taking the ride. To date Bulldoze has ran 10 times for his two previous trainers, his best form over hurdles coming in a a maiden at Fairyhouse back in November 2020. He has ran just twice over fences to date with his standout run coming on his chase debut at Limerick in July of last year when finishing an 11 and a half lengths fourth, this will be his first run since pulling up at Tipperary in July.
Burdigala arrived from France in the autumn of 2018, and unfortunately because of injury he only saw the racecourse twice in the next 20 months. For whatever reason he has failed to get competitive in all but one of his 10 starts since, his standout piece of form being a third place finish at Market Rasen in March of last year. He goes to post at 1.20.pm, in division 1 of the 0-100 handicap hurdle over the extended two miles and three furlongs with Alain Cawley taking the ride, he will now race from an all time low mark of 73.
In division 2 of the handicap hurdle at 1.50.pm, Brickadank who was sent off the 7/2 favourite last time out at Newcastle when finishing third attempts to break his duck on his 20th start, where Becky Smith retains the ride. Brickadank acts on good, and soft ground, and appears just as effective over two, and two and a half miles, but possibly just lacks that extra gear to get him first past the post, he has been eased 2lb, and once again should be competitive.
The lightly raced ex French Hideo is our final runner at 2.20.pm, in a 0-130 handicap chase over two miles and three furlongs, with Emma Smith-Chaston retaining the ride. Hideo had some good placed form at Auteuil in the 20/21 season before disappointing on his final two starts. He made his debut for us at Wetherby 18 days ago in a Class 3 handicap where he raced from 13lb out of the weights. This race represents a big drop in class, as he can now run from his proper mark of 114.
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Good luck to the connections, RM&T Holdings Limited & Partners, Rosemary Hetherington And Partner, A & S Associates, and Two Nicks And A Mick.