Fontwell Park: preview and tips for Thursday’s six-race jumps card

The action gets under way at 5.35pm with a two mile and a furlong mares’ novices’ hurdle in class four before coming to a close at 8.10pm when a field of six tackle the bumper over the same trip.

Read below for a full preview of the Fontwell card and selections for each race courtesy of Racing TV, who offer the latest horse racing free bets throughout the season.

The opening contest of the evening sees nine runners head to post for the nine-runner mares’ novices’ hurdle (5.35). Golden Echo shades the vote in the opener for the Anthony Honeyball team, a modest winner on the Flat that has hit the frame both times in two starts over hurdles, last time out at Chepstow 24 days ago and is open to further progress. The Secret pearl rates the main danger, a winner around Market Rasen last time out but has to concede weight to all of the field here as a result.

Six runners will take on the class five handicap hurdle over the two miles and a furlong trip to mark the second race on the Fontwell card (6.10) and the Alan King-trained Mount Olympus looks set to go well in his first handicap contest in this sphere, only narrowly denied last time out at Fakenham last time out. Light Dragoon is back from a break and rates the main danger for the in-form Tom Lacey team, a winner around Worcester in September.

Fortunate Fella is the selection the third race on the Fontwell card (6.40) for trainer Paul Nicholls, who was a good second over course and distance on chase debut last month and is only 1lb higher in the weights now so makes the shortlist, while race four (7.10) can head the way of Decorated for the Oliver Signy team, making all at this track to score here last time out in April and a 7lb rise in the weights, while fair, shouldn’t pose too much of a problem in his attempt to follow up.

The penultimate race of Thursday’s meeting (7.40) sees a small field of five tackle the two mile and a furlong handicap chase. Rocks Up Late and Fox Wallace are the two most compelling candidates in this contest, with marginal preference for the former who did the job well when landing the spoils on chase debut at Worcester last time out for trainer Ben Pauling.

Finally, the card comes to a close at 8.10pm as a field of six head to post for the bumper - a Flat race ran over Jumps rules - with preference in the finale heading the way of Hard Stare, who could bookend the card for the Honeyball team yard having made a winning start in the points scene before a disappointing ninth on rules debut but is better than that. The Boss Bear for local trainers Gary and Josh Moore rates the main danger having made a promising debut when second at Huntingdon a month ago.

Fontwell selections - Thursday

5.35 - Golden Echo

6.10 - Mount Olympus

6.40 - Fortunate Fella

7.10 - Decorated

7.40 - Rocks Up late

8.10 - Hard Stare