Southwell Tips: Escalating

Escalating finished a close fifth over course and distance when last seen in November and there is every chance he improves on that position in the 3.40 Southwell.

Drawn in stall 6, due to the big field he raced much nearer the far rail than ideal and despite looking outpaced he clocked the fastest closing sectional on often the slowest part of the track.

His run also came at a time when Mick Appleby’s yard was badly out of form but they’ve turned the corner with 17 winners in 2017 at a 15% strike rate.

Escalating races off his last winning mark and Lewis Edmunds is good value for his 5lbs claim. The pair could be set for a big run.