Langer Dan can be the man for the Skeltons - and don't dismiss dark horse Dallas

Consistently firing in handicap hurdle winners is a punter’s dream, but it never proves that simple. Patience is crucial and pinpointing possible targets is the best route to positive results.

With such a vast pool of horses able to compete in handicaps and a mixture of poorly treated and leniently assessed runners, choosing the right hurdlers to follow can prove tricky.

In most cases, horses who are successful in handicap hurdles spend little time in the sphere as they are usually used as a stepping stone to Graded events or for experience before connections send them over fences. This impermanent and transitionary state can make getting a handle on a handicap hurdler’s rating tougher than with chasers.