heavy ground today

not surprisingly, the ground will be heavy at the 3 British meetings this afternoon. This always makes things difficult for punters, and the N.H. card at Ffos Las is especially tricky with some very small fields. The most interesting race here is the 3 mile handicap hurdle at 16.00 CET, with 2 lightly-raced and relatively unexposed runners likely to fight out the finish- Water Wagtail (Emma Lavelle/ Gavin Sheehan) and Minella for Steak (Jonjo O´Neill/ AP McCoy). Both stables are in good form, and Minella for Steak is the likely favourite after running well at Huntingdon last time, but Water Wagtail is a very interesting prospect and must be seriously considered. At Yarmouth we like ex-Peter Schiergen Collodi (Roger and Ned Curtis) in the mile handicap at 15.10. He won so easily at Windsor last week with this jockey aboard that he should be able to defy his 6 lbs penalty. Another ex-German runner is Mespone (Alan Bailey/ Robert Winston), who won twice for Mario Hofer at Cagnes last winter. He seems more likely to act on the ground than the expected favourites here and could run well at a big price.

The same goes for Toughness Danon (Ian Williams/ Robbie Fitzpatrick) who runs in the 2 mile handicap handicap at 16.20 at Catterick. Hard to imagine that he was once third in the German Derby! He won recently over hurdles but his flat form in the U.K. is awful; however 2 miles on heavy ground, which he has never experienced before, may be just what he needs.

Betting forecast Yarmouth:
1. Race: Hands Up - Bilimbi - Gift Of Rain
2. Race: Wrangler - Mannaro - Stout Cortez
3. Race: Magique - Collodi - Barwick
4. Race: Firecruise - Shyron - Baileys Forever
5. Race: Minimee - Red Catkin - Cherry Tiger
6. Race: Saigon City - Martian - Mystery Bet
7. Race: Ticoz - Father Shine - Reach The Beach