Ludlow Placepot: Wednesday October 10

Wednesday's Placepot comes from Ludlow.
Tony McFadden heads to Ludlow in the hope of landing the Placepot on Wednesday...
14:10- Haymarket produced a fair level of form on the Flat when trained by Mark Johnston, and he shaped well on his first start for John Ferguson, finishing third on his hurdling debut. He travelled as well as any on that occasion, indicating that he was certainly capable of landing a juvenile hurdle, and he goes into the 'pot' as an opening leg banker.
14:40- Narrowly beaten last time, Double Silver holds strong claims of registering a first success and maintaining the good form of the Fergal O'Brien stable. Sloppy jumping was perhaps what cost Double Silver when she was last seen in action at Wetherby in May, but stepping back up to 21 furlongs looks bound to suit and we will rely on her to see us through to the third leg.
15:10- There will be no banker in this competitive handicap chase and we will need to keep a couple onside. The first horse we turn to is Armenian Boy, who, although not always convincing with his finishing effort, has strung together a sequence of placed efforts. The other horse we will plump for is Vincitore. His form tailed off towards the end of last season, but he has fallen to an attractive mark and it would be little surprise were Charlie Longsdon's gelding capable of striking on his return.
15:40- The one that immediately catches the eye is handicap hurdle debutant Dark Spirit. A fair performer on the Flat, Dark Spirit has taken well to hurdling, winning on her first start before producing an improved effort when finishing second at Stratford. She has since moved to the Evan Williams yard and her opening mark could underestimate her ability. It might be prudent to include an experienced type for insurance purposes, and Shabak Hom could be the one that fits the bill. In good form over hurdles and on the Flat of late, Shabak Hom looks sure to go well again and can finish in the places.
16:10- Only a top-two finish will secure progression to the final leg, so we will err on the side of caution and include a couple of runners. Savant Bleu was in the process of running respectably when brought down at the second-last flight at Market Rasen. He had been progressing nicely prior to that and is worth including on his chasing debut. Vinomore isn't an obvious selection based on her latest efforts, but the switch to the Charlie Longsdon yard is interesting and he may be capable of eliciting some improvement.
16:40- Lucky Lukey has produced three creditable efforts of late and looks like one of the more reliable propositions in the final leg. He was slightly better than the bare result indicates last time, having been left with plenty to do, and should give a good account here. It may also be a wise move to include Street Runner, a winner at Down Royal on his latest start. He has been hit with a rise in the weights for that success, but the fact that he enters this contest in good form is an undoubted positive.
Selections:
14:10 - 4
14:40 - 5
15:10 - 1, 3
15:40 - 8, 11
16:10 - 3, 7
16:40 - 12, 13
= 16 lines
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