Placepot Pointers: A guide to the first six races at Ludlow on Wednesday

November’s Placepot return of £3,401.20 to a £1 stake is the target to beat at Ludlow this season, and with a tricky card in store on Wednesday. The races are about quality rather than quantity with just two places up for grabs in all six of the tight Placepot legs.

From the bankers to the blow-outs we’ve taken a look through the card, which kicks off at 12:30 to try and help you put together a winning Placepot perm.

Sam Thomas is having a season that even the biggest trainers would be jealous of, with an impressive 29% strike-rate this term. Few Placepot players it’s even more likeable with 60% of his horses finishing in the frame. That’s been taken up a notch lately with 15 of his last 20 runners in the places.

He saddles DOBRYN in the third race of the day (13:30) and looks like having a good chance to continue that good record. Just two runs over hurdles have shown the 5yo to be full of potential. He stayed on powerfully to get off the mark at the first time of asking, before finishing behind a solid enough rival next time out. It remains to be seen how strong the form is behind him from those runs, which could mean an opening mark of 125 is stiff enough, but he’s open to plenty of improvement.

FRANCO D’AUNOU (Leg 6 - 15:00) has progressed into a nice prospect over hurdles for Venetia Williams this season. After Christmas he finished third at Chepstow behind Pozo Emery (now rated 129) and Champagne Rhythm who has won since. Next time up the French import was a straightforward winner at Ffos Las, beating Champangnesuperover by 9l. That form looks decent enough with Olly Murphy’s charge finishing a respectable seventh in the Albert Bartlett at Cheltenham.

On what we have seen of the rest so far a repeat of that performance in west Wales should be more than enough to see players successfully navigate the final leg of the Placepot, even with the selection carrying a penalty. The faster ground is a minor unknown, but he’s a brother to a good ground winner of Jonjo O’Neill’s yard, so should be OK in the conditions.

One of a number of races with a small but select field, the fifth leg of the day (14:30) pits five talented mares against one another over Ludlow’s 2m5f course. The likely outsider of the field is Nicky Henderson’s SUNRISE RUBY. A winner of her first two outings this season in taking fashion. She’s not followed that up in a return to handicapping before finishing eighth in a jumpers bumper.

There’s a chance that this mark of 126 is a bit steep for her, but with the 10lb claim of Alfie Jordan taken into account, she might be capable of finishing in the first two, having filled the same position off a mark of 117 last term. Her brace of victories before Christmas was exciting enough to give her another chance to bounce back here.

On a card chock full of tight, competitive races, the second race of the day (13:00) looks particularly tricky, with four of the five runners closely matched. With two places up for grabs, we’re going to have a pop at both of them.

EVANDER arrives here sporting a first-time tongue tie, but it probably doesn’t have to improve him for Oliver Greenall’s gelding to be on the premises here. An impressive winner at this trip in December, he followed that up with a good second in a hot Newbury handicap next time off today’s mark of 132. There was no disgrace in finishing second behind the 140-rated Whoshotthesheriff in a novice event last time, and has to be respected here.

A slightly riskier proposition is BLACKO. He looked like an exciting hurdling prospect last term after wins at Taunton and Warwick, but failed to really build on that. His chase debut last time was fair, at best, but with that run under his belt he could improve for Alan King. His handicap mark has dropped to 128 which could be lenient based on his early hurdles form.

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Leg 1: Subway Surf

Leg 2: Evander, Blacko

Leg 3: Dobryn

Leg 4: Ballymoy

Leg 5: Wynn House, Sunrise Ruby

Leg 6: Franco D’Aunou

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