Acting Lass offers a fascinating puzzle for punters in the Betdaq Handicap Chase at Kempton on Saturday, as Harry Fry’s novice has won all three of his starts over fences this season and is up just 6lb for his latest success at Ascot.
He has plenty of scope for further improvement and will tempt many in at around 9-2. The big field is a very different test after beating a total of 14 horses in three races, however, and there is much more depth here than Acting Lass has faced to date.
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The favourite makes the market for horses such as Tintern Theatre, a course-and-distance winner at Christmas who is reunited with Sam Twiston-Davies, but the price that really catches the eye is the 14-1 about the Paul Nicholls runner Art Mauresque (3.35). He was eight lengths behind the excellent Waiting Patiently at this track last time out and the winner gave the form a boost last weekend.
Kempton 1.50 Four promising young chasers in the field but Cyrname stands out on his close second behind Terrefort in a Grade One last time. The winner was getting 3lb there, the time was good and the third horse home was 20 lengths adrift. The Unit may give him a race, but Paul Nicholls has won nine of the last 12 runnings of this race and a 10th is imminent.
Lingfield 2.05 Gracious John would be an obvious pick on his form over course and distance in December, but he has finished last on his two starts this year and looks like a false favourite. Karijini is in good form but the drop back to five furlongs is a concern so Orvar has to be the pick at around 4-1. He is unbeaten on two starts on artificial tracks and posted a good time to win at Wolverhampton a couple of weeks ago.
Kempton 2.25 Beau Gosse will be Guillaume Macaire’s first runner in Britain since October 2015, and the trainer thought enough of him to give him a crack at France’s juvenile championship event over hurdles at Auteuil in November. He is not in the Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival though, unlike Redicean, who has taken well to hurdles and is 10-1 for next month’s meeting. A smooth win here should take his price into single figures.
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Newcastle 2.45 Milansbar would be the selection with Bryony Frost taking off 3lb after their front-running win at Warwick last month, but the jockey is claimed to ride at Chepstow and that just tilts the balance in favour of Vinnie Lewis. is just four races into his chasing career and making rapid progress with victories off 113 and 127 on his past two starts. This extreme test will suit him well and he can shrug off a further 9lb rise in the weights.
Kempton 3.00 Scarlet Dragon, who was Group-class on the Flat for Eve Johnson Houghton, is a fascinating hurdling debutant for Alan King in a race won on debut by Nicky Henderson’s Flown in 1992 before following up in the Supreme Novice Hurdle at Cheltenham. Carntop, second in the 2016 Lingfield Derby Trial, is another intriguing arrival from the summer game, but the experience of Destrier may make the difference. He won with plenty in hand last time and can book a place in the field for the opener at the Festival next month.
Lingfield 3.15 Clear Skies took four starts to lose her maiden tag for Aidan O’Brien after joining him from David Wachman last autumn, but has not looked back since with four wins from five in handicaps. Her latest success, by five-and-a-half lengths at Dundalk, was the best yet and even proven all‑weather stalwarts such as Convey, who won this last year, will be hard pressed to cope with her.
