Timeform Radio Tip 
/ Jeremy Grayson / 11 February 2012 / Leave a Comment 
"The return to 6f in this afternoon’s feature handicap at Lingfield (14:45) should not, therefore, be regarded as a negative for a performer (Piscean) already proven capable of winning over this trip off a 2lb higher mark than today’s."
Jeremy Grayson has gone through the cards with his usual meticulous attention to detail to pick out the two best bets ahead of this afternoon's action.
Piscean's victory at Wolverhampton last weekend was gained on his first ever attempt at 7f on an artificial surface, and his first race over that far at all since August 2007. Whether that performance serves as an indicator that such a trip is what he needs now is highly questionable, however, given the race completely imploded, turning for home as the breakneck pacesetters stopped quickly in the snow-softened conditions.
The return to 6f in this afternoon's feature handicap at Lingfield (14:45) should not, therefore, be regarded as a negative for a performer already proven capable of winning over this trip off a 2lb higher mark than today's. Moreover, Tom Keddy's gelding appears to have fewer questions to answer than all of his chief rivals - it remains to be seen how quickly the novelty of Polytrack wears off with the quirky Palace Moon; Seek The Fair Land needs to set another personal best to score; Santefiso would prefer further; Mottley Crewe keeps climbing the weights without winning; and the tantalisingly handicapped Five Star Junior has only converted one of his last 49 attempts.
Musselburgh, meanwhile, provides the first jumps action since last Monday, and the line-up for the grandiosely titled Scottish Champion Chase at 15:10 has the most striking shape to it of any on the card.
No fewer than eight of the 14 contenders are currently deserving of a Timeform in-running "F" or "f" symbol that indicates varying degrees of finishing weakly. Marry that to the generous number of front-runners in opposition, and this could prove to be a strongly run contest in which competitors come to deliver their bids throughout, only to hit the proverbial wall in turn.
That fate ought not befall Gracchus, however, if his really pleasing, keeping-on second to the reinvigorated Marodima at Warwick last time is any guide. Tony Carroll's six-year-old was the only rival to deliver a meaningful and sustained challenge from the rear that day, and Musselburgh's longer home straight compared to that venue's can help him get there in time today.
Trainer form is no issue, with Carroll operating at around a 20% strike-rate over jumps for the month immediately before the cold snap and the same back on the Flat since.
Recommended Bets
Back Piscean @ [7.0] in the 14:45 at Lingfield
Back Gracchus @ in the 15.10 at Musselburgh
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