Tuesday is a very unusual day in racing’s calendar, as all four meetings go over jumps. Brian Hughes is likely to be the main man again, as he heads to Bangor for five rides; Hughes has 44% strike rate at the Welsh track this season. We’ve looked at the chances of all five horses, alongside an exclusive Bet UK offer, which provides £60 in Free Bets when you bet £20.
SWEET AUBURN – (2.15 Bangor)
Hughes could well open his account for the day in the second race on Bangor’s card. SWEET AUBURN runs in this mares’ maiden hurdle, after showing promise in bumpers around the turn of the year.
The six-year-old was a point-to-point winner last October and made her National Hunt debut swiftly for trainer Donald McCain. She won a bumper at Sedgefield on Boxing Day under Hughes, who was typically keeping himself away from the top tier action in search of as many winners as possible.
Since then, Sweet Auburn has been placed in two more bumpers under a winner’s penalty, though her hurdling bow was a little bit disappointing, as she finished only fourth at Catterick in March. However, she was not the quickest at her hurdles and she would have learned from that and been freshened up from a break.
Given her debut success came after a 78-day layoff from point-to-points, she should go well enough fresh and none of her rivals can match her peak effort to date.
FLYING VERSE – (2.45 Bangor)
This class 3 handicap chase is among the best races on offer on Tuesday and Hughes is on the bottom weight in FLYING VERSE.
The ten-year-old looks to have consistente form figures at first glance, but he had not got within 25 lengths of a rival in 2022 until receiving a wind operation in July. Having slipped 16lb in the handicap this year, he was suddenly revitalised and almost got back to winning ways at Stratford, going down only by half-a-length off a mark of 98.
He is back up 4lb, but there is no doubt that his surgery has done his racing career the world of good. It may also have been significant that David Dennis dropped him back to 2m6f, having been running him at 3m2f and beyond all year.
This trip of 3m may therefore fall exactly in his sweet spot and runners on their second start after wind surgery are often a positive betting angle. The favourite Go On Chez’s winning run ended last time and thus Flying Verse now looks the best handicapped in the field.
ARMATTIEKAN – (3.15 Bangor)
Of those that are currently priced up, ARMATTIEKAN is currently the “long shot” of Hughes’ chances on Tuesday. Yet, even he is not an each-way price.
Another for regular partner-in-crime Donald McCain, this eight-year-old has kept relatively decent company in 2022. He has raced as high as a class 2 handicap at Carlisle, when a 13-length runner-up off a mark of 115 and though his last two efforts have been less appealing, there are reasons to be hopeful once again.
His last of four at Aintree and pulling up at Market Rasen have seen him drop 3lb in the handicap to a rating of 112. However, you do not have to go back far to make that mark seem very tempting: three starts ago, he was runner-up over course and distance with a rating of 113, going down by just half-a-length.
This was also his last winning mark, when scoring at Wincanton last November, so there is an abundance of evidence for him being competitive here. He can put recent performances behind him back at a venue he has shown an aptitude for in the near past.
ZAMOND – (3.45 Bangor)
Only one race over obstacles has more runners on the day than this handicap hurdle, though Hughes still finds himself right towards the top of the market aboard ZAMOND.
Originally trained in Ireland by Colin Bowe, he joined Donald McCain last October and though it took him nine starts to get off the mark, there is a chance he could now go on a run.
He required eight handicap starts to slip to winnable mark. Eventually, that day came at Cartmel last month, when he got home by a neck off a mark of 97. However, Donald McCain is a master at getting horses to suddenly win back-to-back and a 4lb rise does not harm his chances overly.
Hughes not only has a tremendous strike rate this season at Bangor, but at no other track (at which he has had over 15 rides) does he have a better winning percentage as the Welsh course. There is plenty in his favour for the follow-up.
GENEVER DRAGON – (4.20 Bangor)
The final ride from Hughes comes aboard GENEVER DRAGON, a veteran of the racecourse despite only being a five-year-old.
He has already raced 29 times in his career, though the son of Dragon Pulse, bred more for the flat than jumps, has only ever registered a single victory. That came way back on his hurdles bow at Sedgefield, but he has not been so lucky since.
Nevertheless, having endured a tough spell, his luck almost returned at Perth last month. On a mark of 94, he was beaten by just a short-head and although that has initiated a 4lb rise, it came after a step up to 2m4f, which may have been the making of him.
He remains of serious interest in this contest, with confidence now behind him and he can send Hughes into midweek with a victory.
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