Sky Sports Racing's Alex Hammond preview and tips for Kempton and Warwick

Fans of jump racing will be in their element this weekend with some competitive fare across the country. Kempton’s £100,000 Coral Lanzarote Hurdle is their main event, Warwick host the Wigley Group Classic Handicap Chase and at Wetherby, the William Hill Towton Novices’ Chase will put its hand up as the main event with its status as a Grade 2, although disappointingly there are two significant non-runners. However, the four that remain are worthy of its class.

Let’s head to Kempton first. The Lanzarote Hurdle market is headed by Impose Toi for Nicky Henderson and owner JP McManus. Henderson has won the race four times, which puts him on top of a heap that includes Paul Nicholls, Nick Williams, Venetia Williams, Gary Moore, John Jenkins, Josh Gifford, and Bob Turnell, who have all won it more than once.

The race has a rich history aside from the training roll of honour. Multiple classic winning rider Ray Cochrane won it in 1979, and it’s been a successful race for female riders with Gee Armytage the first to win it in 1987, with Rose Davidson (now Dobbin), Lizzie Kelly and Bridget Andrews subsequently joining Gee on the roll of honour. Bryony Frost has a chance of adding her name to the list on Saturday.

Bryony rides Irish Hill for Paul Nicholls and the horse is 1lb lower in the handicap than when he was last successful at Ascot last February. However, his trainer reached for the blinkers for him last time out, suggesting he’s keeping a bit for himself, and they are retained here. Stable jockey Harry Cobden has chosen Sonigino, a horse he won a hot handicap hurdle on at Aintree last time out. He has joint top weight which makes life hard but he’s still on the up.

Nemean Lion won’t appreciate the rare dry spell we are enjoying. His trainer Kerry Lee has said in the past that she wouldn’t run him on anything quicker than good to soft and it was good to soft, soft in places on the hurdle track on Friday, so we are on the edge of it drying too much for him. He has spent some time on the injury list in the past, so any rain will be in his favour bit it doesn’t look like there’s any in the forecast. He steps up to the 2m5f trip for the first time.

King Alexander is another for Nicky Henderson. He was hiked up 10lb for his reappearance win at Exeter in November and has been given time to get over that. He’s also improving, and this is only his third start in a handicap.

Good Look Charm has a low weight to carry, and she steps out of mares’ company for just the second time in her sixteen race career.

Mark Of Gold fell at the second flight of hurdles in this last year but is a previous course and distance winner for trainer Gary Moore.

Did you watch the coverage from Plumpton last Sunday? I haven’t enjoyed a day at the races as much as that in a long time. That was partly down to the extraordinary ride Joe Anderson gave Transmission to win the Sussex Stayers Handicap Hurdle. If he doesn’t win Ride Of The Year for that, then I can’t wait to see what trumps it! He rode that winner for Neil Mullholland and the pair team up again here with Mothill. He’s won on this horse before and knows him well. They could run into a place.

WONDERWALL is an intriguing runner for Peter Bowen. The horse ran over fences on his final start for Richard Spencer and he since switched stables. This is his second start after a wind op, and he has some back class. He’s from the family of Riverside Theatre, who himself did well at this track, and he’s my selection in this red hot race. He’s 14/1 with Sky Bet who are paying 7 places, so I hope he can run into one of them.

At Warwick, the stayers are in the spotlight in the Classic Chase over 3m5f. It’s no wonder the bookies are taking no chances with anything Gavin Cromwell trains and Sky Bet have Malina Girl as their 9/2 favourite for the trainer. She’s also that price because she was travelling well when falling at Cheltenham in the middle of last month. Her handicap mark remains the same.

She’s 11lb higher in the weights than when winning at Cheltenham in November and a second successive trip to the UK could be on the cards. She was only sent off an 8/1 shot for the Scottish National last April (pulled up) but her stable may not have been firing on all cylinders at the time, as a strike rate at home in Ireland that month was just 8%.

The same can’t be said for Cromwell’s current win to run ratio, particularly with horses that run over here. She deserves her position as market leader. Her rider is Conor Stone-Walsh, who switched from the flat when he got a bit heavy for that sphere. What he lacks in experience he makes up for in talent and his 5lb claim will be useful as the mare has top weight of 12-stone. At an each way price (17/2) Major Dundee could be one to finish in the first five. He’s a Midlands National winner so will stay well, and he has a visor on for the first time. He may enjoy the better ground than he experienced in the Welsh National last time out.

I put the Kim Bailey trained Trelawne up in some quarters as a horse to follow for the season, so I ought to side with him in the Towton at Wetherby. Sky Bet’s favourite is Colonel Harry at 8/11 after he finished runner-up in the Grade 1 Henry VIII Novices’ Chase at Sandown last time out and represents the red hot team of Gavin Sheehan and Jamie Snowdon.

I’m happy to take him on at that price though with 3/1 shot Trelawne. He was building momentum at a crucial stage of the race on his second start over fences at Cheltenham last month when he had no stride at the last fence and scrabbled over it. That could well have cost him the race. The soft ground at Wetherby will suit him and I hope he can beat the hot favourite.

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