Musselburgh preview: O’Meara’s Innocently handicapped to strike

Innocently caught the eye last time out, and can take advantage of a drop in the weights to land the 5f handicap on today’s card at Musselburgh (15.00) now eased in grade.

The David O’Meara trained gelding is a five-time winner over the trip, and the last of those successes came for Innocently in a class 4 handicap at Ripon 12 months ago when scoring by 1 1/2 lengths off a mark of 81.

He got put up 6lb for that victory, but was far from disgraced off his revised rating of 87 when ninth of 16 to Online Alexander in a hot class 2 contest at York.

The four-year-old is yet to trouble the judge in four starts this season, but shaped as if coming to the boil last time out when a not knocked about 3 1/2 length sixth of 15 in a class 3 contest at Doncaster.

Innocently now drops back down into class 4 company having been eased another 1lb by the assessor, and is now on the same mark as when last successful in the grade.

It gives the son of Kheleyf major claims from a handicapping perspective for a yard that have been in terrific form all season.

Circuitous has become dangerously well-treated and looks decent value to to score an overdue success in the 7f handicap (16.00).

The Keith Dalgleish trained gelding is on a long losing run having not scored since landing the 2013 running of the class 2 Ayr Bronze Cup off a mark of 78.

However, that resulted in the handicapper cutting Circuitous plenty of slack and the son of Fasliyev is now able to race in this class 5 affair off just 65.

That is 13lb lower than when last victorious and gives Circuitous major claims on the pick of his form.