Andrew Asquith provides an overview of the key things to note on Friday.
Three points of interest
Skelton a trainer to follow at Wetherby
Dan Skelton has a 29% strike rate at Wetherby, with a healthy £1 level-stakes profit of over £35, and he has tasted plenty of success at this two-day meeting in the past, too.
He has several runners on the card on Friday, but the most persuasive of those is definitely Thistle Ask in the Bet Boost At bet365 Handicap Chase (14:55) following his excellent start for the yard at Kelso last week.
Thistle Ask had won at Musselburgh on his final start for James Ewart and was backed as though defeat was out of the question and the ease in which he won considering the adversities he went through suggests he’s a very well handicapped horse.
Fences in the home straight were omitted due to low sun, and he jumped and hung to his right on occasions, slithering on landing at the last (usually three from home), but it did not stop his momentum.
He was quickly back on the bridle and he readily quickened clear in the straight. His jumping style suggests he’d be better suited back at a left-handed track, but such was the impression he made at Kelso, he’s hard to get away from turned out under a penalty, while he’s with a yard who will no doubt straighten out some of his quirks.
Lump Sum interesting on chase debut
All five horses are making their chase debut in the Kalahari King ‘Chasing Excellence’ Beginners’ Chase (15:05) at Uttoxeter, and it looks a cracking race on paper, one in which the Sam Thomas-trained Lump Sum is taken to come out on top.
He developed into a smart hurdler last season, well backed to make a winning return in the Welsh Champion Hurdle at Chepstow, proving an opening mark of 134 all wrong, and he went on to finish an excellent second to Sir Gino in the Grade 1 Fighting Fifth Hurdle next time.
His next best effort came when runner-up in the ultra-competitive William Hill Hurdle at Newbury, running right up to form but having a herculean task attempting to concede stacks of weight to the progressive winner.
Lump Sum wasn’t at his best when last seen in the Imperial Cup, but he may still have been feeling the effects of his monster effort at Newbury four weeks earlier, and he looks very interesting now sent chasing.
Thomas hasn’t had many runners, but the ones he has have all performed well, and Lump Sum has an exemplary record when fresh. He has the scope to make a chaser and his hurdles form surpasses anything the remainder have done.
Tonal miles ahead of his mark
Tonal looks very well treated turned out under a penalty in the Bet £10 Get £40 With BetMGM Handicap (19:45) at Southwell and he should prove hard to beat.
He’s generally a better performer on the all-weather, and he produced arguably his best ever performance returned to an artificial surface at Chelmsford last week.
Tonal took advantage of a reduced mark after a 10-week break with his stable in good form, well suited by being held up in a truly-run race, making good headway out wide from two furlongs out and readily stretching seven and a half lengths clear.
Admittedly, that was a weak race, but the timefigure was good for the grade, and he has been found another excellent opportunity. He’s officially 6lb well in, while on Timeform weight-adjusted ratings, he’s at least 7lb clear of his rivals – he makes plenty of appeal.
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