Much the most interesting race at Musselburgh today is the handicap chase at 15:20, and my eye is immediately drawn to Richard Guest's Balinroab. The Milan gelding is hardly a paragon of consistency, but he holds strong claims on the form he showed when chasing home Present View at Market Rasen in November, and it's notable that Richard Guest's Flat team have burst back to form in the past few weeks, so his place on the cold list of jumps trainers is potentially misleading.
The Market Rasen form has since been advertised by the subsequent exploits of all but Balinroab, who ran a stinker at Haydock last month. He needs to be forgiven that, but there are reasons to believe he'll get back on track now. The return to a right handed track is a bonus, with his last four runs when going clockwise have yielded two wins and two places. He's also been dropped a few pounds by the handicapper, and I have absolutely no doubt that he's capable of winning from his current mark. He would ideally be suited by further, but travels well held up and a well-run contest at this trip should bring his stamina into play, and he's simply too big a price to ignore.
In the same contest, it's also worth having a few shekels on Aneyeforaneye, who is another with patchy form to her name this season, but also represents a yard in form, and has been given a real chance by the handicapper. She doesn't always find much for pressure, but was cruising when coming down at Fakenham in October, and is now five pounds lower in the weights. She has a hefty pull with Maggio on the form they showed when in the frame at Kelso next time, and may just have needed the run after a break at Wetherby on Boxing Day. Like Balinroab, she has a little bit to prove, but is overpriced as a result.
In the preceding handicap hurdle over two miles, Titus Bolt can outrun his odds having caught the eye over course and distance last time. Jim Goldie's Flat winner has taken to the winter game with some enthusiasm, but simply did too much in front on that occasion, fading in the straight having got the better of a battle for early supremacy with Ultimate. His hurdling was very good on the whole, and he will prove capable of much better form when learning to channel his energy more efficiently. Until he does, he's possibly better utilised as a back-to-lay option, but his trainer has sensibly left the visor off today, and that will help him curb his free-going tendencies to some degree. He's been ridden prominently over timber in recent starts, but both his Flat wins came when delivered from off the pace, so he's no one-trick-pony.
Recommendations:
All at Musselburgh
Back Balinroab @ [17.0] & Aneyeforaneye @ [9.4] in the 15:20
Back Titus Bolt @ [11.5] in the 14:50
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