One of the conundrums facing regular bettors is whether to forgive a poor performance from a fancied runner. We can all recall those "cliff horses" who regularly have excuses for defeat, but often end up simply breaking our hearts. On the other hand, reliable performers who throw in a stinker for no reason will more often than not bounce straight back to form. I'm very hopeful that Easter Meteor falls into the latter category after a howler at Cheltenham on his return. On that occasion I'd made a strong case for him, and it was no consolation that the only pair identified as dangers should fill the first two positions.
On that occasion, the normally sound-jumping Easter Meteor made bad mistakes at the first three fences, and was effectively out of the race before it had begun. The nature of those errors suggested something was amiss, and he returned with a slipped saddle, but sadly the stewards failed to get an explanation for this or indeed any poor performance over the Showcase meeting. Hopefully this lack of attention will not be in evidence at the prestigious Open meeting later this month. The fact that Emma Lavelle is happy to turn Easter Meteor out quickly suggests that there is no inherent physical problem with the horse, and he's taken to leave that aberration behind.
In the closing handicap hurdle, Silver Dragon is taken to add to a recent Uttoxeter success, and looks the type to stay ahead of the handicapper for a while. Having travelled well at the Staffordshire venue, he was produced to lead just after the last, and appeared to have a little bit in reserve. That was a modest, but competitive handicap, and the form should prove reliable, and while Tony Coyle's charge has a 7-lb hike in the weights to overcome, he looks well up to the task.
Recommendations:
Back Easter Meteor @ [12.5] (NAP)
Back Silver Dragon @ [4.5] (NB)
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