October 23 / 15.37 Ludlow

15.37

Good To Firm

KLF Insurance Brokers Invitational Handicap Hurdle

  • Prize money: £3696.7
  • 2m 7f 174y
  • Class 5
  • 6 runners
RTV
View Course
KLF Insurance Brokers Invitational Handicap Hurdle

Runners: 6 runners

Type: Hurdle Turf

Surface: Turf

Weather: Partly cloudy

Form: 787221 CD

Last run: 5 days

W: 12st 7lb

8 yo Gelding

OR: 100

Form & Verdict
Landed Alastair Ralph a fourth win from his last six runners when powering home in the debuted visor (replaced) at Stratford latest (2m6f, good); player, though he has never yet managed to follow up a win, and the penalty takes him 7lb above the mark defied in this race last year.
Place /
No / Draw
Date / Going /
Distance / Class
Time + Course Horse + Weight
Jockey / Trainer
Verdict Starting price

1

23rd Oct 2025

Good To Firm

2m 7f 174y

Class 5

15:37 Ludlow

Prince De Juilley

12st 7lb

J: Toby McCain-Mitchell

T: Alastair Ralph

Landed Alastair Ralph a fourth win from his last six runners when powering home in the debuted visor (replaced) at Stratford latest (2m6f, good); player, though he has never yet managed to follow up a win, and the penalty takes him 7lb above the mark defied in this race last year.

9/4

1st

2

18th Oct 2025

Good

2m 6f 7y

Class 5

17:05 Stratford

Prince De Juilley

11st 11lb

J: Toby McCain-Mitchell

T: Alastair Ralph

His wins have been at 3m2f and 3m; arrives here after good-ground seconds at Uttoxeter and Warwick, his second and third starts in blinkers; should be in the mix provided he takes to more new headgear.

4/1

2nd

6

23rd Sep 2025

Good

3m 2f 0y

Class 4

17:35 Warwick

Prince De Juilley

11st 4lb

J: Ciaran Gethings

T: Alastair Ralph

Not quite at her best this year but went down fighting when close second off reduced mark at Uttoxeter (2m7f, good) 12 days ago; went back up 3lb for that but it's worth remembering his career-best performance (in May 2024) came over this C&D on good ground.

7/2

Form: -52721 D

Last run: 9 days

W: 12st 3lb

6 yo Filly

OR: 96

Form & Verdict
Early days for current yard, yet rediscovered the level of her previous Irish best for last week's easy Market Rasen 3m handicap success (good); 2lb well in under the penalty, and lots in her favour again.
Place /
No / Draw
Date / Going /
Distance / Class
Time + Course Horse + Weight
Jockey / Trainer
Verdict Starting price

6th

9

21st Mar 2026

Good To Soft

3m 0f 100y

Class 1

13:00 Kelso

Tankardstown Diva

11st 0lb

J: Jack Andrews

T: T Ellis

Highly progressive for new yard this season and has won handicaps on her last four hurdle starts (2m7f-3m1f, good-soft), most recently in comfortable fashion at Ludlow last month; this is a much tougher test of her credentials but it remains to be seen where her limitations now lie.

9/1

1st

4

26th Feb 2026

Soft

2m 7f 174y

Class 3

14:42 Ludlow

Tankardstown Diva

11st 7lb

J: Jack Andrews

T: T Ellis

3-7 for new stable since last summer, with one win gained over C&D (good) and the latest at Plumpton (3m1f, soft) last month; this race is more competitive but she might still be on the upgrade.

9/2

1st

2

26th Jan 2026

Soft

3m 0f 217y

Class 4

15:20 Plumpton

Tankardstown Diva

11st 11lb

J: Jack Andrews

T: T Ellis

Won on yielding ground in Ireland but her two hurdle wins (2m7f and 3m) in October were both on good ground and good to soft is probably as slow as she wants it; fell on her return to fences before Christmas and needs to justify a career-high mark, 7lb higher than her latest win.

7/2

OUR TIP

Form: 22PP66

Last run: 7 days

W: 11st 11lb

5 yo Gelding

OR: 97

Form & Verdict
Spring and summer's clutch of frame finishes were gained around far more galloping tracks over 2m-2m4f; wheels have really come off since, and hard to be confident the return to a stayers' trip will arrest the decline.
Place /
No / Draw
Date / Going /
Distance / Class
Time + Course Horse + Weight
Jockey / Trainer
Verdict Starting price

3

23rd Oct 2025

Good To Firm

2m 7f 174y

Class 5

15:37 Ludlow

Katana

11st 11lb

J: James Bowen

T: Robert Stephens

Spring and summer's clutch of frame finishes were gained around far more galloping tracks over 2m-2m4f; wheels have really come off since, and hard to be confident the return to a stayers' trip will arrest the decline.

16/1

3

16th Oct 2025

Good

2m 4f 0y

Class 5

14:40 Ffos Las

Katana

11st 6lb

J: Ben Jones

T: Robert Stephens

Runner-up on handicap debut for Nicky Henderson at Worcester (2m, good) in May and pulled well clear of the third when filling same position in maiden over that C&D for new stable in June but has suffered a worrying slump in form since; needs a good boost from the new cheekpieces here.

14/1

4

22nd Sep 2025

Good To Soft

2m 1f 162y

Class 4

16:15 Fontwell

Katana

11st 9lb

J: Ben Jones

T: Robert Stephens

Ex-Nicky Henderson was was runner-up a couple of times in the summer but has been pulled up on his last two starts and is hard to fancy until he shows more.

14/1

Form: 24FF-1 D

Last run: 24 days

W: 11st 10lb

6 yo Gelding

OR: 96

Form & Verdict
Achieved more on RPRs for his Newton Abbot 3m2f class 5 win last time (good) than Arctic Angel did for hers, despite bleeding from the nose; up just 2lb and he's hugely unexposed as a handicap hurdler.
Place /
No / Draw
Date / Going /
Distance / Class
Time + Course Horse + Weight
Jockey / Trainer
Verdict Starting price

7th

5

3rd Jun 2026

Good To Firm

3m 2f 0y

Class 5

18:55 Warwick

Touchwoodexpress

11st 3lb

J: Kevin Brogan

T: Nigel & Willy Twiston-Davies

Absent since two below-par runs in November but returned from a break to win five-runner contest at Newton Abbot (3m2f, good) in September, and is now back on the same mark; seems best on good ground but once won a point on soft; can't be ruled out.

11/1

4

23rd Oct 2025

Good To Firm

2m 7f 174y

Class 5

15:37 Ludlow

Touchwoodexpress

11st 10lb

J: Sam Twiston-Davies

T: Nigel & Willy Twiston-Davies

Achieved more on RPRs for his Newton Abbot 3m2f class 5 win last time (good) than Arctic Angel did for hers, despite bleeding from the nose; up just 2lb and he's hugely unexposed as a handicap hurdler.

2/1

4

29th Sep 2025

Good

3m 2f 105y

Class 5

15:41 Newton Abbot

Touchwoodexpress

11st 4lb

J: Toby McCain-Mitchell

T: Nigel & Willy Twiston-Davies

Returned from break to make winning chase/handicap debut at Huntingdon (2m7f, good; first-time cheekpieces) last autumn; absent since falling on consecutive outings during the winter but still enters calculations on this handicap hurdle debut.

7/2

Form: 344-1P

Last run: 116 days

W: 11st 2lb

5 yo Filly

OR: 88

Form & Verdict
Stopped too quickly at Cartmel latest (2m6f, good to soft) for either the 4lb rise for her previous Newton Abbot success (3m2f, good) or the quirky course to seem the issue; step back up in trip is a plus, but questions to answer again; cheekpieces discarded.
Place /
No / Draw
Date / Going /
Distance / Class
Time + Course Horse + Weight
Jockey / Trainer
Verdict Starting price

5

23rd Oct 2025

Good To Firm

2m 7f 174y

Class 5

15:37 Ludlow

Arctic Angel

11st 2lb

J: Isabel Williams

T: Evan Williams

Stopped too quickly at Cartmel latest (2m6f, good to soft) for either the 4lb rise for her previous Newton Abbot success (3m2f, good) or the quirky course to seem the issue; step back up in trip is a plus, but questions to answer again; cheekpieces discarded.

8/1

4

29th Jun 2025

Soft

2m 6f 31y

Class 5

15:15 Cartmel

Arctic Angel

11st 6lb

J: Mr B T Stone

T: Evan Williams

Kept on well for narrow success at Newton Abbot (3m2f, good) this month, opening her hurdling account at the eighth attempt; will be fine on the forecast slower ground and further progress is possible if combination of drop back in trip and first-time cheekpieces has positive effect.

5/2

6

4th Jun 2025

Good

3m 2f 105y

Class 5

15:35 Newton Abbot

Arctic Angel

11st 2lb

J: Mr B T Stone

T: Evan Williams

Third in a mares' bumper here (good) on debut last year; unable to improve on that level of form but was third over hurdles at Chepstow (2m3f, heavy) in January; below that level twice since; half-sister to a 3m winner, so this longer trip might see her find some improvement.

9/2

Form: 4765

Last run: 20 days

W: 10st 2lb

5 yo Mare

OR: 68

Form & Verdict
Not as far out of the weights as when an outpaced fifth on this month's handicap debut, and the longer trip may prove a plus; still a lot to find with the best of these, however; cheekpieces already discarded.
Place /
No / Draw
Date / Going /
Distance / Class
Time + Course Horse + Weight
Jockey / Trainer
Verdict Starting price

6

23rd Oct 2025

Good To Firm

2m 7f 174y

Class 5

15:37 Ludlow

Needtoknow

10st 2lb

J: James Best

T: Joe Ponting

Not as far out of the weights as when an outpaced fifth on this month's handicap debut, and the longer trip may prove a plus; still a lot to find with the best of these, however; cheekpieces already discarded.

50/1

8

3rd Oct 2025

Good

2m 5f 164y

Class 5

16:48 Fontwell

Needtoknow

10st 2lb

J: Rex Dingle

T: Joe Ponting

Limited promise thus far and finds herself 11lb out of the weights for handicap debut; cheekpieces added.

33/1

Selections

SPOTLIGHT:

Touchwoodexpress

POSTDATA:

Prince De Juilley

RP RATINGS:

Tankardstown Diva

Telegraph:

Touchwoodexpress

The Guardian:

Touchwoodexpress

D Express:

Touchwoodexpress

Daily Mirror:

Touchwoodexpress

The Star:

Touchwoodexpress

Daily Record:

Touchwoodexpress

The Times:

Tankardstown Diva

Daily Mail:

Prince De Juilley