Thursday Tips

Matterhorn finally looked like scaling the heights he promised in France when winning at Taunton last time out and he can repeat the dose in the Taunton Racecourse Business Club "National Hunt" Novices' Hurdle.

Bought from France by Paul Nicholls for owner Johnny de la Hey, it has to be said that he had come nowhere near to reproducing what was thought of him.

Having finished in front of Gaelic Warrior in a three-year-old Listed hurdle at Auteuil, he was sent off strongly fancied on his UK debut at Sandown but ran far too free.

Given over 100 days off, he reappeared at a lower level at Taunton, where he was an easy winner but still ran with the choke out.

That same trait was there when Matterhorn was beaten at Huntingdon in April and he subsequently had a wind op.

Back at Taunton for his seasonal reappearance, he once again made the running but this time he was listening to Harry Cobden and coasted to victory.

The five-year-old has a handicap mark of 128 but Nicholls has decided to try and win another novice with a double penalty first.

Nicholls and Cobden must have a strong chance of doubling up with Afadil in the Stables Business Park Handicap Hurdle.

He is wearing first-time cheekpieces after a dull run at Cheltenham in much hotter company, but that result can be explained away due to the soft ground.

Afadil is much more at home on a sounder surface, which he will get here and he had when impressing at the Scottish Grand National meeting at Ayr in April, winning going away.

Cobden actually chose Afadil over subsequent Coral Hurdle winner Blueking D'Oroux at Ascot last year, of course without knowing what we now know about his stablemate.

It will be a surprise if this son of Camelot is still rated as low as 127 when the season ends.

Richard Hobson's Hi Riko was unlucky not to win last time out but can make amends in the Try The Racing App This Afternoon Novices' Handicap Hurdle at Lingfield.

Very lightly-raced compared to most of his rivals on this occasion, Hi Riko appeared set for victory at Uttoxeter when unfortunately his conditional jockey Elizabeth Gale dropped her whip approaching the last.

Still with an advantage, it looked like he might hold on until the heavy ground took a toll and he began to tire and was caught in the final strides.

Annoyingly for connections, he is up 4lb for that effort but Gavin Sheehan takes over in the saddle.

Alan King's Paradias is a very interesting newcomer to the jumping game in the Enjoy The Racing App For Free Novices' Hurdle.

The four-year-old is a rare thing in that he has smart form on the Flat but instead of being sold abroad he has been kept to go hurdling and his connections will be hoping for similar success to that which Burdett Road is enjoying.

He won at Sandown in June off a mark of 90, ran well in several big handicaps at Goodwood and York and was last seen in the Cambridgeshire.

The Nicky Richards-trained The Kalooki Kid finished behind Quaresome last time out but there are reasons for believing he can turn the tables in the Maxrecycle Waste Masters Novices' Hurdle at Musselburgh.

The pair were second and third at the Edinburgh venue three weeks ago but The Kalooki Kid was making his hurdling debut and found the two-mile trip a bit short

They have the best part of an extra half a mile to tackle now and Richards has been operating at a very healthy strike-rate for the past fortnight, suggesting he will be a good deal fitter this time around.

SELECTIONS:

LINGFIELD: 12.05 Shewearsthewellies, 12.35 Bolintlea, 1.10 Hi Riko, 1.45 Paradias, 2.20 Heva Rose, 2.55 Sweet Honey B, 3.30 Imperial Hope.

MUSSELBURGH: 11.55 The Kalooki Kid, 12.25 Three Yorkshiremen, 1.00 Garde Des Champs, 1.35 Nowinittowinit, 2.10 The Churchill Lad, 2.45 Half Shot, 3.20 Native Fighter.

TAUNTON: 12.17 Abbeyhill, 12.50 MATTERHORN (NAP), 1.25 Furkash, 2.00 Afadil, 2.35 My Rockstar, 3.10 Sailed Away, 3.45 Sawpit Sienna.

THURLES: 12.10 Il Etait Temps, 12.40 French Dynamite, 1.15 Reddys Island, 1.50 Lombron, 2.25 Fun Fun Fun, 3.00 Daddy Long Legs, 3.35 Herculaneum.

DOUBLE: Matterhorn and The Kalooki Kid.