Wolverhampton preview: Gabrial The Thug can give rivals a bashing

David Metcalf | December 22, 2015

Gabrial The Thug has a good record at Wolverhampton and can take advantage of a drop in the weights to further enhance it with victory in the 1m apprentice handicap on today’s card at the Midlands venue (16.10).

The Richard Faney trained gelding is a four-time course and distance winner, and in the last of those successes back in September beat Kodiac Lady by a neck off a mark of 65 in a class 6 handicap.

Gabrial The Thug got put up to 67 for that victory and has subsequently failed to trouble the judge in five starts.

However, the The five-year-old has often shaped better than the bare result suggests in class 4 and 5 company and the handicapper has been quick to lend a hand.

Gabrial The Thug is now able to race off a mark of 62, 3lb lower than when last successful, and that gives him major claims from a handicaping perspective.

The son of Azamour also drops down into the same grade as when last victorious, and another plus is that Gabrial The Thug has winning form under inexperienced riders.

Next Edition to end losing run

In the 1m 4f handicap (15.40), Next Edition looks weighted to get back to winning ways following a couple of excellent runs.

The Phil Kirby trained seven-year-old is on a long losing run, having not scored since landing a class 4 contest at Musselburgh back in May 2013 by 3 1/4 lengths off a mark of 76.