Verdict

Basilea Star is on a roll at present and should be up to defying a penalty against Le Biassais, with Overserved and Fairwood Nickle best of the rest. Keith Mercer is quickly making a name for himself in the saddle, and although Ferdy Murphy gave him a bit of a roasting for being too enthusiastic on Truckers Tavern the other week, the young man from Southport is valued highly, and looks all set to score a fourth successive victory aboard Basilea Star who has plenty of stamina judged on his recent performances. Winner of two pint-to-points in Ireland before moving to these shores, he is set to go chasing in the spring and has a bright future. For now though, he can prove too strong for Le Biassais who has found one too good on each of his last three outings. To be fair, he caught a tartar in the shape of Bewley's Berry at Hexham last time, and the step up in distance can only help his cause, but it is asking a lot for him to gun down the selection on the evidence so far. Of the rest here, Overserved is bred for the game but is inexperienced, while the same comment applies to Fairwood Nickle. Basilea Star will be tough nut to crack.