Wolverhampton Placepot: Monday February 18

Mark Johnston could saddle a winning newcomer in the 16:50.

Timeform's Matt Gardner turns his attention to the all-weather on Monday, with Wolverhampton's card coming under scrutiny...

14:10 - We begin with a couple of amateur riders' affairs, which are likely to make or break the Placepot hopes of many; the opening leg arguably looks the simpler of the two, with Red Mystique and Supa Seeker taken as being capable of seeing us through. The first mentioned has shaped well on his last couple of outings and may just be coming to the boil whilst Supa Seeker turned in his best effort of the season in a similar event at Southwell last time, finishing third, and he ought to be competitive once more. 

14:40 - This is a very tricky race as virtually none of the 12 contenders boast convincing claims so we are stabbing in the dark somewhat with Zelos Diktator and Silver Marizah. The former has been running poorly over hurdles this season but his effort back on the level, at Kempton last month, was a step back in the right direction and he could build upon that here. Silver Marizah is yet to win a race but posted a better effort when upped to 11 furlongs at Southwell last time, finishing second to Peace In Our Time, and a repeat of that ought to see her in the firing line here. 

15:15 - Bussa and Nant Saeson look the two to focus on here but we always have to bear in mind the number of lines we are burning, so Nant Saeson will be the sole selection. The four-year-old is 2-2 over C&D, finding plenty to beat Bussa by a head last time, and having gone up just 3 lb for that success he is weighted to confirm the form with that rival. 

15:50 - Movementneeverlies is likely to prove popular following her encouraging effort on debut at Kempton last month but Scent Of Roses sets a fair standard based on her debut effort at Cork in June, when second to Blue Bullet, and she looks to have been found a decent opportunity to go close by her new connections. We're going to take a bit of a flyer by also sticking in Auntie Mildred on debut for David O'Meara, a trainer who boasts a 27% strike rate with his three-year-old's at this venue in the last five years. Auntie Mildred is related to the likes of useful sprinters Ajjaad and Baaridd and she may just surprise a few on her first foray to the track. 

16:20 - With Red Somerset being a non-runner we are left with just four runners, meaning that we need to select the winner. Xpres Maite is entitled to plenty of respect given his generally consistent profile but Saharia is the standout at the weights, racing off levels with that rival despite being a superior performer; it would be disappointing were the six-year-old not to hit the mark here. 

16:50 - Patagonia's non-participation has thrown this race wide open and the feeling is that we are going to need to in order to make it across the line. He's No Angel, whose dam is a half-sister to the dam of Dream Ahead, cost 200,000 gns as a foal and, despite that sales price dropping appreciably as a three-year-old, he still made a fairly encouraging debut at this venue last month. He ought to do better with that experience under his belt and should go close here. Omotesando, the third foal of 2005 Yorkshire Oaks winner Punctilious, is a half-brother to Periphery, who went close on debut and has won twice at Jebel Ali this winter. The three-year-old hails from a top yard and is certainly of interest on his racecourse bow. 

Selections: 
14:10 - 4, 9
14:40 - 5, 7
15:15 - 9
15:50 - 3, 11
16:20 - 3
16:50 - 2, 8
= 16 lines

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