There are strong grounds to suggest NESTOR PARK (3.00) can outstay his opponents in a probable mudfest for the £100,000 Wigley Group Classic Handicap Chase at Warwick.
The three mile, five furlong marathon on heavy ground will be a gruelling contest but the ten-year-old looks tailor made for the challenge for the in-form pair of trainer Ben Pauling and Luca Morgan.
Nestor Park goes on the ground and should stay the trip as he was running on when third behind No Cruise Yet over half a furlong shorter at Haydock on his seasonal reappearance in November.
He was out of his depth when pulled up in the National Hunt Chase, won by Galvin, at the 2021 Cheltenham Festival but has rarely run a bad race since.
He has not been out of the four in his five subsequent starts, including a Newbury victory and three third places.
Pauling has already reached 60 winners for the campaign, well past his previous best score of 44, and Morgan heads the conditional jockeys title race, although he recently rode out his claim.
OUTLAW PETE (2.40) can execute a daylight robbery in the day’s feature hurdle by taking the Coral Lanzarote Hurdle at Kempton on what could be another outstanding Saturday for champion trainer Paul Nicholls.
The layers are already on the defensive because of the presence of Green Glory, trained in Ireland by the wily Charles Byrnes, in the field for this famous handicap hurdle.
Green Glory has been raised 16lb for a late time out win and it could be Outlaw Pete who is the better handicapped of the two principals.
He was a course and distance winner in May, then finished second in the Persian War at Chepstow before winning a novice hurdle at Exeter by 16 lengths.
He ran against Constitution Hill on his second start over hurdles last season and not surprisingly struggled but Outlaw Pete has looked a much better horse since having a wind op and moving up in trip.
PAINT THE DREAM (2.05) can take advantage of the race conditions to land the Silviniaco Conti Chase.
Nicholls runs Pic D’Orhy, winner of the Peterborough Chase last time out, but he has to give 2lb to Paint the Dream who is 3lb superior on ratings, a mark he earned for an easy win at Newbury last time.
Newbury has been a particularly happy hunting ground for Paint The Dream but he wasn’t disgraced behind Bravemansgame in the Charlie Hall and there seems no reason why he can’t take to Kempton.
SMARTY WILD (1.30) runs consistently well at Kempton and gave another good account of himself when third to Remastered over Christmas, so deserves another turn in the winners’ circle.
With Paul Nicholls’s stable jockey Harry Cobden at Kempton, Lorcan Williams has a chance to bask in the TV spotlight at Warwick where there are high expectations of his mounts in the two graded prizes.
The Welshman rides COMPLETE UNKNOWN (1.50, Nap) in the Hampton Novices’ Chase in which he meets the mare Galia Des Liteaux, who is on a recovery mission after her jumping went to pieces in the Kauto Star Novices’ Chase.
Galia Des Liteaux had impressed against her own sex on her chasing debut but had already made a couple of horrendous mistakes before she was eventually pulled up.
Complete Unknown won the EBF hurdle final last season and looked a real staying prospect and sound jumper when getting off the mark over fences at Ffos Las so a step up to three miles should hold no terrors.
KNOWSLEY ROAD (2.25, nb) can provide Williams with a big race double in what looks a hot renewal of the Leamington Novices’ Hurdle.
All seven runners are last time out winners but Paul Nicholls has been hoovering up these prizes, winning the Challow and Tolworth Hurdle in successive weekends, and Knowsley Road can continue the run.
He completed a hat-trick of wins at Chepstow, two hurdles and a bumper, with his latest performance franked by the third Libberty Hunter winning next time out.
ASHTOWN LAD (3.35) won the Becher Chase over Grand National fences but warmed up for that with a spin over hurdles. He is back over the smaller obstacles in the day’s last TV race and should be thereabouts.
SATURDAY'S SELECTIONS
LINGFIELD
12.05 MOHATU
12.35 NO SUCH LUCK
1.10 STAR GUEST
1.45 SILKIE WILKIE
2.20 THREE DONS
2.55 TOPLIGHT
3.30 NIGHT TRAVELLER
WETHERBY
12.12 BALLYBEG BOSS
12.47 CHOOSETHENEWS
1.22 AMOOLA GOLD
1.57 HOGANVILLE
2.32 IROKO
3.07 CAMP BELAN
3.42 JEUNE BELLE
KEMPTON
12.20 ARCLIGHT
12.55 MAKIN’YOURMINDUP
1.30 SMARTY WILD
2.05 PAINT THE DREAM
2.40 OUTLAW PETE
3.15 QUICK DRAW
3.50 FRANSHAM
WARWICK
12.40 NON STOP
1.15 HADDEX DES OBEAUX
1.50 COMPLETE UNKNOWN (NAP)
2.25 KNOWSLEY ROAD (NB)
3.00 NESTOR PARK
3.35 ASHTOWN LAD
4.10 RASCAL
CHELMSFORD
5.30 BAWAADER
6.00 SILKY SMOOTH
6.30 BOAFO BOY
7.00 BEDAZZLING
7.30 MIDNIGHATTHEOASIS
8.00 LADY LOULOU
8.30 EAGLE EYED FREDDIE
FAIRYHOUSE
12.17 BLOOD DESTINY
1.02 A LAW OF HER OWN
1.37 CORBETTS CROSS
2.12 BIG DEBATES
2.47 FLAME BEARER
3.22 JODY TED
3.57 WESTPORT COVE
