'Some horses simply love Carlisle' - our Monday tipster with three horses who come alive at the Cumbria track

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Hello Judge
3.00 Carlisle
1pt win

Bouncing Bobby
3.30 Carlisle
1pt each-way

Jet Legs
4.00 Carlisle
1pt win

Hello Judge can lay down the law when he returns to Carlisle for the 2m4f handicap chase (3.00), his first visit since winning with authority over the course and distance in October.

Some horses simply love Carlisle; some simply loathe it. Hello Judge clearly comes into the former category, having jumped superbly and stayed on powerfully up the punishing climb to beat Twoshotsoftequila by a neck off a 2lb lower mark.

The third Mulberry Hill, fourth Jet Legs, and sixth Readysteadybeau have all scored since, and there is little doubt Hello Judge remains well handicapped on a mark of 100.

The Ann Hamilton-trained eight-year-old has always promised to be a better chaser than hurdler, so the fact he is rated 108 over hurdles suggests there remains plenty of mileage in his rating over fences.

Hello Judge has failed to reproduce that Carlisle form in three subsequent runs at Newcastle, Musselburgh and Sedgefield, but he wasn't disgraced on each of those occasions. 

The pick of those three efforts came last time out at Sedgefield where he finished third to Gandhi Maker, with Trac three and a half lengths back in fourth place. Trac reopposes on 3lb worse terms now, so there is no reason to believe he can turn the tables.

It could well be that Carlisle brings out the best in Hello Judge, and the way this handicap chase is likely to be run could prove similar to the race he won in the autumn. Hello Judge was always close to the pace that day, and got into a really good rhythm at his fences.

Red Happy is the only one of Hello Judge’s six rivals who habitually goes from the front, and I expect my selection to sit second before making his move at the bottom of the hill with three fences to jump.

Heavy ground is unlikely to play to the strengths of Red Happy, who has risen 16lb since last October, and he will require close to a career-best effort to concede 12lb to Hello Judge, with his jockey Edward Austin claiming 5lb.

Underfoot conditions will be far more testing than for Hello Judge’s previous Carlisle success, but his half-brother Fletch won his only race, a Uttoxeter novice hurdle, on heavy. Hello Judge could even improve again for such extreme conditions.

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Bouncing Bobby makes each-way appeal from the foot of the weights in the following handicap hurdle (3.30).

The Martin Todhunter-trained mudlark routed ten rivals over 2m4f at the course in October 2022, barely coming off the bridle to justify considerable market support. That came off a mark of 77 and he gave the impression he was capable of reaching at least 90.

Bouncing Bobby has been beaten in all four of his starts over hurdles since, but he was unlucky to lock horns with the favourably treated Serious Ego off 85 at Hexham in November and only went down by three lengths.

Likely to have been freshened up by a break since his most recent outing in November, the 85-rated Bouncing Bobby is fancied to make a major splash in his ideal conditions.

Houston Texas will put his unbeaten Carlisle record on the line in the next race, the 3m½f handicap chase (4.00).

Those four wins have been gained off marks of 103, 111, 116 and 119, and he will require a career-best at the age of ten to defy 125 under the steadier of 12 stone.

The three-years-younger Jet Legs, who remains unexposed over fences after just four starts, can take advantage of the 10lb he receives from Houston Texas. Jet Legs was backed off the boards when going down by two and a quarter lengths to Special Rate at Kelso last month.

He travelled supremely well for much of the trip, and it is worth pointing out that his conqueror has landed seven of his last eight starts and looks destined to take even higher rank in future.

The handicapper has put Jet Legs up 1lb for that defeat, but he still looks fairly treated in staying chases when underfoot conditions place a real premium on stamina and he shaped nicely over an inadequate 2m4f on his sole previous visit to Carlisle.

Read these next:

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