Dave Nevison's top horse racing tips for Saturday

If Adagio improves to beat the back-to-form Goshen in the Wincanton Matchbook Betting Exchange Kingwell Hurdle on Saturday then maybe we might just have something that can make Honeysuckle work a little harder to win the Unibet Champion Hurdle next month.

Maybe that is too much to ask, but there does look to be some very solid bets in the handicaps on the channel, which I believe might confirm Paul Nicholls return to form.

This race is really competitive but I have a feeling there might be a handicap blot down at the bottom of the weights.

Evan Williams needs an awful lot of horses to come out of the Rando Grand National for Secret Reprieve to feature at Aintree on April 9 but I fancy he might well be one of the favourites next year.

Secret Reprieve has been well campaigned to win big staying handicaps, including the Welsh Grand National which he won in really taking style last winter. He went off favourite for this season’s renewal, too, race and although finishing out of the frame he ran well enough to suggest he is one to be with again this term. He moved well for a long way only to weaken as lack of a previous run told in the straight.

This track should suit him well and, off a low weight, I can see him finishing much better than most in desperate conditions for another win in colours we often see going very well at Haydock.

Two wins eight months apart from this sprightly 12-year-old have confirmed him to be an improving staying handicap chaser despite his years.

His win at Fontwell last May now looks much stronger with the subsequent efforts of Friends Don’t Ask, who he beat decisively.

He reappeared to beat a strongly fancied last-time-out winner in good style and has only been raised 4lb, which is generous.

Max Dynamo is all about stamina but I don’t feel a drop down of just over a furlong will inhibit him and he has already shown he jumps well around Wincanton, which is a major plus for me. Jordan Nailor also claims a useful 3lb.

Rattled up a hat-trick of wins on his final three starts over hurdles, including a success over this course and a victory on heavy ground.

His attentions were then turned to chasing but he made a huge early blunder on his debut and his confidence went after that. He has been switched back to hurdles and has been campaigned patiently to get him back in the zone and he showed his appreciation last time with a remarkable victory here last time.

He powered home from way off the pace and got up to beat one of today’s main rivals Tokyo Getaway by half a length. Given that the third has won a good race at Newbury since, it is perhaps surprising he has only gone up 2lb for that. He meets Tokyo Getaway on 2lb worse terms if Small Present is kept a little closer to the pace then he can beat him easier this time.

Would not have been suited by the drop down trip in the in the Grade One Tolworth Hurdle last time, but taking on the favourite for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle in Constitution Hill would probably have been too much over any trip. He still ran well to be third, ending a run of four consecutive wins.

He will be much better suited to 2m5f here and off a mark of 127 looks to have been underrated for his handicap debut. Paul Nicholls has had just three runners this week with a winner and two second places, so his horses are not out of form this week (up to before racing on Friday) that is for sure. He also had two winners last Saturday and hopefully his team are coming out of the lull they have been in.