Ben Linfoot's Cheltenham Nap won on Friday - Dave Ord has the Saturday selections.
Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair Sportsbook
Tony Martin won this race two years ago and looks to have a leading contender this time around in HAMSIYANN.
He improved with every start as a juvenile hurdler last season, finding himself with too much to do when third behind Royal Way in an Ascot handicap on his final start. He’s crying out for this step up in trip, duly improving for a similar hike on the flat when second in the Chester Plate on his only run this season. A big player.
There’s a major leap of faith involved in selecting GLORY AND FORTUNE but it the fire still burns he has to be competitive.
Tom Lacey’s charge won the Betfair Hurdle at the peak of his powers but now races from his lowest mark since winning at Ffos Las in 2021. After a long lay-off he has the benefit of a pipe-opener in a Listed race at Kempton where he very much ran as if needing it and could just be a different proposition on Saturday in these much calmer waters.
He’s a three-time course-and-distance winner and while he has a four-month absence to overcome, ROCK ON TOMMY returns with the Olly Murphy team running hot.
The nine-year-old is now eight pounds below his last winning mark and has been a found a good opening with the only concern being his usual hold-up tactics in what is forecast to be a weakly-run contest.
He ran in the 2000 Guineas in the spring but this is NIGHT RAIDER’s surface and he can claim his biggest prize to date.
Three-from-three on the all-weather, he was a very taking winner of a conditions stakes at Kempton last time, having plenty in hand of Equilateral at the line. He’s capable of making an impact at this level.
He arrives here at the top of his game and ZU RUN is fancied to make a bold bid despite an ordinary draw.
He’s struck up a good partnership with Millie Wonnacott at this track the last twice, winning over seven furlongs and then touched off by Evocative over this trip last time. Willlolarupi will be popular after his Southwell success earlier this month but was helped by a very strong gallop that day and the selection might just be more tactically versatile.
MANOTHEPOPLE provided Paddy Brennan with a winning send-off at Cheltenham in April and shaped well enough on his return at Chepstow (Ballygriffincottage behind, Nassalam pulled up) to believe he can still be competitive from his career high mark. The form of the spring success on the new course looks solid enough and proved he can act at this track while the prevailing good ground is essential to him. He's relatively lightly raced for his age with 10 chase starts to his name and fewer still under suitable conditions beyond three miles which can see help him post a career best.
Some useful horses have won the Salmon Spray with Baron Alco, Lisp and Song For Someone all obliging as four-year-olds but the race has been downgraded by 15lbs to a 0-120 and there doesn't appear to be anything of their calibre in the line-up, several of whom come into the race off the back of heavy defeats. Goodwin's came over fences and he may fare better returned to hurdling but KADO DE JOIE took the eye with the way he travelled on several occasions last season. The end results were not all that but he does shape as though capable of better and it would be no surprise to see him progress through the season for his powerful stable.
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.