Kempton (AW) 8:00 Result

Hibernate's recent form 115242 shows he's in excellent shape, with two wins and consistent frame finishes, running just 17 days ago and clearly fit and fresh. He carries top weight (142lbs, OR70) but that's earned via genuine improvement, not an artificial hike, and he's proven at this trip. Ed Dunlop is a solid all-weather handler and a 3lb claimer takes some sting out of the topweight. Rivals like Sax Avoidance (5431, but stepping up markedly in trip having won last over shorter) and Three Socks On (-11433) are interesting but have question marks over this exact 1m3f trip or are dropping in class after facing calmer fields. Extraterrestrial and Hot Silk are consistent but have been finding one or two too good and are unproven converting placed efforts into wins at this level. Hibernate's OR is the highest here but his level of form (1-1-2-4-2) suggests he's competitive, if not dominant, in this grade, and the yard/jockey combo look confident. He looks the most reliable each-way/win combination given the consistency of his recent efforts and the fact he's already beaten similar company.