The feature contest on the final day of the British Flat season at Doncaster on Saturday is the November Handicap (15:15).
In a typically wide-open renewal of the 1m 4f contest, the mud-loving Reshoun looks decent value at the 12/1 on offer with BetVictor.
Trained by the shrewd Ian Williams, this five-year-old has won once and been placed once in two starts over course and distance.
The placed effort came in this 12 months ago when Reshoun stayed on strongly from off the pace to finish a 1 3/4 lengths third of 23 to handicap blot Royal Line off a mark of 94.
Prior to that, the son of Shamardal sluiced home on bottomless ground when easily beating Never Surrender by 3 1/4 lengths in a decent contest at Haydock.
Reshoun has had just five starts this season and shaped really well on the first of those when a 1 1/2 lengths third to Gumball at Sandown off 95.
He is now able to race off 94 – the same as his fine effort in the November Handicap last year – and comes into the race on the back of two eye-catching efforts.
After finishing a not knocked about eighth on Shergar Cup day at Ascot when slowly away, Reshoun ran very well when a staying on 4 1/2 lengths third of 16 to Time To Study in the Old Borough Cup at Haydock.
He appears to be building up to a big performance and this is sure to have been his target for a long time.
So, on the testing ground that he relishes, and with Jim Crowley in the saddle who has partnered him to two successes, everything looks in place for Reshoun to run a huge race.
Birds Of Prey a big player for Nicholls
Given that Birds Of Prey is able to race in this off the same mark as when fourth in last year’s contest, he is another that looks weighted to go well.
This gelding finished runner-up to subsequent Epsom Derby winner Wings Of Eagles as a juvenile when trained in Ireland by John Oxx.
He went on to land back-to-back handicaps at Gowran Park in the summer of 2017, after which he was sent to join Paul Nicholls.
There was lots to like about his first start for the Ditcheat handler when fourth of 11 to Count Calabash at Kempton where, after being held-up at the rear, he ran on strongly to be gaining all the way to the line and beaten just two lengths.
It was a fine effort from the four-year-old following 217 days on the sidelines, while the winner went on to follow-up off 4lb higher at Ascot.
That gives the form a solid look and Birds Of Prey then finished a luckless 2 1/4 lengths fourth of 13 to Buzz at the same venue.
Respected given connections
He backed that up with a solid short-head second of six to Mister Belvedere at Haydock, where he didn’t do his chances any good by pulling hard but kept on strongly to be gaining all the way to the line.
Birds Of Prey then travelled very strongly for much of the race when beaten two lengths by Royal Line in this and has since won twice over hurdles.
He has also had a recent spin over the obstacles at Kempton following a break, so that should have blown away the cobwebs and put him spot on for this.
Nicholls has clearly been keen to protect Bird Of Prey’s flat mark for another crack at this and the gelding has a 75 per cent strike rate on soft ground.
Megan Nicholls also takes off a handy 3lb with her claim, so taking everything into account Birds Of Prey looks well worth considering each-way at odds of 16/1 with Coral.
Scarlet Dragon another with each-way claims in November Handicap
Jumps trainer Alan King has done extremely well with his runners on the Flat this season, so that makes sole representative Scarlet Dragon well worth a second look.
This six-year-old has an overall win and place strike rate of just under 36 per cent on the level, winning five times and being placed on five other occasions from 28 starts.
Although Scarlet Dragon hasn’t won on the Flat since landing a 16-runner contest at Newmarket back in October 2016 off a mark of 100, he has posted some very solid efforts in defeat.
They include when a 7 1/2 lengths third to the top class Crystal Ocean in last year’s Group 3 Aston Park Stakes at Newbury off an official rating of 108.
Scarlet Dragon also ran very well when a 2 1/2 lengths third of seven to Wissahickon in a 1m 2f Listed contest at Lingfield, where he ran on strongly having been carried out wide rounding the home turn off 106.
The form of those races is strong and suggest that Scarlet Dragon has every chance from a handicapping perspective off a mark of 99.
He also comes into the race on the back of a win having landed a valuable Listed handicap hurdle at Market Rasen in good style, so is clearly in good heart.
Although testing ground is arguably not ideal for Scarlet Dragon, he did run well on soft ground in 2017 when third to Poet’s Word in a Group 3 at Goodwood when beaten just 1 3/4 lengths and rated 108.
So, over his optimum trip of 1m 4f, Scarlet Dragon has more going for him than his odds of 16/1 with Ladbrokes would suggest.
He is thus another worth considering for the November Handicap from an each-way betting perspective.
