Dave Nevison: my three best bets on Friday

Mount Anglesby has only been ridden by Toby McCain Mitchell since joining the in-form Alistair Ralph stable from Ireland, and he has not yet been out of the first two.

The six-year-old won a conditional jockeys' event over this course on his latest start, so clearly the combination works and they have plenty going for them here.

He is upped in trip in this race as well as been raised just 3lb for that latest win, but he has proved his stamina for his former yard and proved a liking for softer ground. He likes to sit just off the pace, so a strongly run affair, which appears likely, should suit him well.

This is a seriously competitive event, save for a lightly-raced Skelton runner that looks set to go off short. For that reason, I feel an each-way bet against the favourite might be the way to go, especially with the extra places on offer.

The Hardest Geezer has been a close second on both his starts this autumn and the Hobbs/White-trained runner has the look of an insurance bet to nothing. This horse pulls hard and is sometimes difficult to settle, and it may not be a coincidence that his two wins have come in the biggest fields he has contested so far.

This six-year-old is in an even bigger field here in a race predicted to go at a very strong pace, so the excellent Callum Pritchard should find it easier to settle him and may enable him to expose any possible lack of fitness in the Skelton runner. 

The addition of a visor as well as his normal tongue tie seemed to be the piece of the jigsaw that had been missing with Ay Gee Ell and the three-year-old broke his maiden in impressive style.

The Richard Fahey-trained gelding is turned out quickly under a penalty which looks the obvious smart move, and if the headgear works as well second time, I don’t imagine the 6lb extra weight will stop him.

This race is over a furlong further, but he has done well enough over this 6f trip to suggest it won’t be an issue. In fact, based on previous efforts, it may well improve him. Ethan Tindall’s 7lb claim negates the penalty and I expect a good run.