Sedgefield Placepot: Tuesday December 11

We're at Sedgefield for today's Placepot

Both jumps meeting have passed inspections and we're choosing Sedgefield in our attempt to land a fourth Placepot in five days.

12:20 - Maggie Blue has been pulled out, leaving us with the dreaded four. However, it'd be a surprise were either the exposed Saddlers Mot or seven-year-old debutante Texas Tilly to win, so we can restrict ourselves to two lines: one on Hannah Jacques and one on Lady of Verona.

12:50 - A more competitive heat than the first leg, which will require two selections to make sure of getting through. Favourite Witness In Court put up a promising effort behind Crowning Jewel (pair clear) on his hurdling debut, but that came back in the early weeks of the season so lack of a recent run is a slight worry. One who has the benefit of a recent spin is Victor Lynch, who looked to need his first start over hurdles last month and, now fit, will surely reap the benefits upped to a trip much more in tune with his pedigree and the manner in which he's shaped in his races so far.

13:20 - Another four-runner affair, albeit one of much higher quality than the opener. Purely in form terms, banking on Rose of The Moon would be a viable option, though his regressive and quirky profile over hurdles means it's not beyond the realms of possibility that he'll bomb out. Therefore, we'll need Dannanceys Hill and Crafti Bookie alongside him to guarantee progress; Ballycarbery has shown nothing so far and can be left out.

13:50 - Ballybriggan would certainly have entered calculations had he stood his ground, while his defection leaves us with a bit of a quandary. I have no qualms about putting Lightening Rod in, as he shaped as though back in good order last time and tends to hold his own once he finds form, but it's what we include (or don't) besides him that poses some problems. My inclination is to go with Pertuis, who has run well over the summer following three quiet runs in novice hurdles; if he's sharp enough on this return to jumping, he's bound to go close.

14:20 - Try as I might, there just seems no way round putting in Brave Spartacus as our sole selection in leg five. He won with so much in hand at Catterick last time that even a failure to quite reproduce that form would see him firmly in the reckoning here. What's more, a forceful ride (such as the one he came in for at Catterick) should remove some of the dangers involved in siding with a short-priced runner.

14:50 - Another fairly risky play in the final leg, but quite simply if Sleep In First makes the expected improvement for the move to James Ewart from Anna Bramall then he'll be tough to beat, acknowledging his absence and the fact he's probably best suited by further. There's always the option of a place lay if the market vibes are less than promising.

Selections:
12:20 - 1, 3
12:50 - 10, 11
13:20 - 1, 3, 4
13:50 - 2, 8
14:20 - 3
14:50 - 6
= 24 lines