Uttoxeter best bets: Cher Tara primed to build on recent near miss for in-form Skelton team

19:05 Uttoxeter Racecourse Caravan and Motorhome Site Handicap Hurdle  (2 miles)

If the bookies’ calculations are correct, then this should develop into a two-horse race between the clear early market leaders.

Three-time course-distance winner Rock On Tommy looks poised to strike again after his competitive appetite appears to be galvanised by blinkers when he came a close-up third of nine around here a month ago.

The three-pound claim of Lewis Stones should help matters further, but they may have to settle for another minor placing behind the obvious quality of the Dan Skelton-trained Cher Tara.

Suggested best bet: Cher Tara in the 19:05 at Uttoxeter

This lively five-year-old has not looked an easy ride on her previous six starts, but Harry Skelton appeared to be getting to grips with her temperament when he rode her for the second time last time out at Market Rasen 32 days ago.

Having learned from his previous effort at the same track two weeks earlier, Harry held his charge up before making headway three out, taking the lead approaching the last, before being overtaken in the final 100 yards by a superior horse on the day.

The aim might be to produce her a little later this time around, but any performance of that quality should put her in the mix again here, and hopefully add to the jockey’s impressive 31 percent win rate (59% place rate) so far this season.

• Tip advised by Gastonex on Tipstrr

Of the others, there are plenty in with a shout of making the frame, and although offering very little recently to get excited about, there’s some each-way interest in the Tipstrr camp for the unfancied bottom-weight, African Sun.

It’s been 18 months and a dozen outings since Joanne Thomason-Murphy’s seven-year-old forced his way into the minor places, but he had shown similar underwhelming form going into this very race two years ago, and promptly held off 13 rivals to land a 40/1 upset.

Can lightning strike twice? Probably not, of course, but it might be worth a silly couple of bob each-way to cheer him on if James Best can keep him in the mix approaching the last.

Outsider punt: African Sun each-way in the 19:05 at Uttoxeter

 

 

• Tip advised by The Profit Rocket on Tipstrr