N.H. racing at Wetherby

The ground is soft at Wetherby today, although it may dry out if no further rain falls, and some quite open N.H. racing is in prospect; as the steeplechase course is still regarded as unsafe it is an all-hurdles card (plus a bumper). Compromiznotension (Howard Johnson/ Denis O´Regan) was a close runner-up this CD 17 days ago and can go one better in the 2 miles novice hurdle at 15.40 CET. The handicap hurdle over 2 miles 3 furlongs at 16.15 looks to lie between Brook no Argument (John Quinn/ Dougie Costello) and Tarabaloo (Richard Guest/ Sam Jones), both of whom won well last time and still look leniently handicapped. The staying novice hurdle at 16.50 could alsobe a 2-horse race, between top-weight The Wooden Spoon (Jim Best/ Durack), the only winner in the field, and Mr. Barnacle (Nicky Richards/ Tony Dobbin), beaten in a photo at Newcastle in January. King Jack (Richard Phillips/ Richard Johnson), who has been in thr monbey all his starts so far, will be a short-ptoiced favourite to win the novice hurdle at 17,25, but Irish-trained hurdles debutant Farmaland (Noel Hynds/ Tom O´Brien) could be dangerous.