Eyes on the prize? Pay The Pilot bids to make winning return for Kim Bailey

Monday: 4.10 Hereford
Download The Vickers.Bet App Handicap Hurdle | 2m5½f | 4yo+ | Sky

Four of the ten runners boast winning form at Hereford, including the Charlie Longsdon-trained Zestful Hope, who is unbeaten in two starts at the track.

The most recent success came by six lengths from Walkinthewoods in November, and he is effectively only 3lb higher when Lilly Pinchin’s 3lb claim is taken into account.

Pay The Pilot graduates to handicaps off 110 after landing his sole start over hurdles at Ffos Las last March.

That was a wholly uncompetitive three-runner event, though, and the beaten 8-11 favourite Happy Du Mesnil has done nothing for the form in three subsequent heavy defeats.

While Pay The Pilot does have the potential to improve, he is not the only one who fits that profile.

Nigel Twiston-Davies: runs course-and-distance winner BallycamusCredit: Edward Whitaker

Ballycamus, a commanding winner of his first handicap over course and distance last March, failed to match that performance at Fontwell and Ludlow subsequently but he does retain low mileage.

The David Pipe-trained Pachacuti caught the eye last February when chasing home his odds-on stablemate Kingofthewest at Exeter.

He failed to improve on that performance pitched into handicaps for the first time off 108 at Wincanton on Boxing Day, but could have needed that run.

Down 3lb in the weights and up considerably in distance, it would be no surprise to see Pachacuti take a step forward this time.

Bebraveforglory, a course-and-distance scorer off 90 last February, goes back to hurdles following a successful spell over fences.

He still figures on an attractive mark – just 2lb higher – and receives weight from all of his rivals.
Analysis by Richard Birch

What they say

Martin Keighley, trainer of Forecast
He's got top weight so we're taking 5lb off his back as he's 11 years old now. He's coming down the handicap back to a winnable mark, and coming back in trip should suit him. He won't mind the ground and goes there with an each-way chance.

Charlie Longsdon, trainer of Zestful Hope
He likes the track, having won round there the time before last, and we're not worried about the soft ground. It looks another winnable race and he goes there with a good shout.

Henry Daly, trainer of Guillemot
We're going back to hurdling and putting the cheekpieces back on in a bid to get a number next to his name rather than another letter. Mr [Harry] Cobden was the last jockey to complete on him so we’ve gone back to him as well. Hopefully he can get his confidence back and run a nice race.

Kim Bailey, trainer of Pay The Pilot
He's running in an eyeshield as he's had the tear ducts removed from his left eye since his last run, which is rather unfortunate, and he goes out in something like a pair of binoculars at home. This is very much a look-and-learn exercise to see how he copes with it.

Oliver Greenall, joint-trainer of Chris Cool
He slipped over on the bend when in a challenging position there last time, but is fine now. The horses are running well, so hopefully he can run a nice race.

Keiran Burke, trainer of Lady Wilberry
The step up in trip will suit her, although the soft ground is a bit of an unknown. If she copes with underfoot conditions she'd have a good chance.
Reporting by David Milnes

Sign up here. Place 5 x £10 Sportsbook bets on any market at minimum odds of 2.0 (evens) and get money back as cash if it loses. Max refund per qualifying bet is £10 (up to £50 in total). Only deposits made via cards will be eligible for the promotion (Apple Pay excluded). T&Cs apply. Commercial notice: This article contains affiliate links. Offers are handpicked and come from operators that our experts have first-hand experience of. Opening an account via one of these links will earn revenue for the Racing Post, which will be used to continue producing our award-winning coverage of horseracing.