3 poor meetings today

With Newmarket´s Craven Meeting starting tomorrow, today offers only low level racing, over jumps at Exeter and Carlisle and on the all-weather at Southwell. There are some very small fields, so that betting opportunities are limited.

Easily the best horse running today is Sgt Reckless (Mick Channon/ Brian Hughes) who runs in the novice chase at 16.10 CET at Carlisle. He was a respectable sixth in the Arkle at Cheltenham and a repetition of that form would make him virtually unbeatable here; however he is unlikely to be at a working man´s price. Hughes has a chance of following up at a much better price on Malcolm Jefferson´s Our Boy Ben at 17.50, and if that one runs well, it would be a pointer to the chancs of a Be A Dreamer (Sue Smith/ Sean Quinlan) in the next race, as he finished in front of him at Sedgefield last time.

Main Feature at Exeter is the Marathon chase at 16.00. Allthekingshorses (Philip Hobbs/ Jim Best) was runner-up here last year and can go one better this time. Adrenalin Flight (Seamus Mullins/ Andrew Thornton) won here over 4 miles before Christmas and looks the main danger.

At Southwell we like Haines (Andrew Balding/ Edward Greatrex) in the apprentice handicap at 18.30. Balding is an excellent trainer of apprentices and this horse, who is running at Southwell for tjhe first time, has won his last 3 races at other all-weather tracks.

Carlisle - betting forecast:
1. Race: My Friend George - Purple Harry - See The Legend
2. Race: Beyondtemptation - Knight Valliant - Bryden Boy
3. Race: Pekanheim - Neville Woods - Ivans Back
4. Race: Gingili - Parles Pond - Smoothie Press On
5. Race: Vasco D`ycy - Bearly Legal - Trust Thomas
6. Race: Scimon Templar - Whiskey Chaser - Colms Dream
7. Race: Abricot De L`oasis - Be A Dreamer - The Gunner Brady
8. Race: Down The Line - Return Flight - Far From Defeat