Dave Nevison: Tote Tournament bets plus Saturday selections

2.40 Kempton: £24 Win Old Harrovian 

3.15 Kempton: £24 Win Sweet Fantasy 

4.55 Kempton: £6 Win and Place Fresh 

5.15 Chelmsford £6 Win and Place Morlaix 

2.40 Kempton: £6 Reverse Exacta Old Harrovian &  Intinso 

1.30 Kempton: Grandlad 

2.05 Kempton: Many Tears, Choisya 

2.40 Kempton: Intinso, Old Harrovian 

3.15 Kempton: Sweet Fantasy 

3.50 Kempton: Devoted Queen 

4.25 Kempton: Notable Speech, Native Warrior 

The relentless rain steers me towards the all-weather meetings on Saturday afternoon.

Fortunately, there is some quality action at Kempton plus a £100,000 feature at Chelmsford.

I have four for you in the handicaps and am hopeful of landing the each-way Yankee.

If you think you know better, then don’t forget to take me on in the Tote’s £5,000 Beat The Pundit challenge. It’s free to enter, so why not give it a go?

This traditional early-season handicap has come down to a coin toss for me (and most other tipsters) between the Team Gosden runner Intinso, who bolted up at Wolverhampton on his reappearance, and the Andrew Balding-trained Old Harrovian.

I have sided narrowly with the latter, despite the fact he has not been seen since finishing down the field in the Group Three Aston Park Stakes at Newbury last May.

The Balding yard has been in flying form so I have no concerns about his fitness for this, especially as he has held his position as favourite in this week’s ante-post market.

Before his disappointment on turf, Old Harrovian had created a very big impression on the all-weather - winning a couple of races by wide margins. 

If whatever ailed him has been sorted out, then there is every likelihood he can make up to a Group class performer this season and he definitely looks leniently treated for this first handicap off a mark of 93.

He wears a tongue-strap for the first time, which looks a further positive indicator to me. Provided he can handle a big field of seasoned handicappers the four-year-old should go very close here. 

This filly may well have been improved since leaving the Ralph Beckett yard last autumn and is unbeaten in two starts over hurdles this winter, under a 7lb claimer on his latest start. 

James Owen has been supporting apprentice Aidan Keeley to good effect on the all-weather this winter, as has Roger Varian, and the young jockey’s 3lb claim here may well prove a decisive factor in an extremely competitive renewal of the Queen’s Prize. 

The trainer/jockey combination have already had a winner in April and are both in excellent form. 

Sweet Fantasy took a while to win on the Flat but was very much on an upward curve late in the summer, winning off a mark of 82 at Epsom in August. Owen has dispensed with the headgear for her hurdles wins and she runs without a visor again here. 

James Fanshawe’s seven-year-old must be a “cliff horse” for plenty of punters. I have watched him with horror on occasions as he is asked to pass a wall of horses in big-field handicaps. 

His form figures last season mask several solid runs, including a fifth place in the Wokingham and a desperately unlucky run at The Curragh on his penultimate start. 

Clearly, backing him comes with inherent risk but there is no doubt Fresh is a well handicapped horse at the start of this season. He has reappeared in this race for the past two years and both times run well off higher marks. 

He needs a strong pace and his past three wins have come in big fields, so he should have no excuses on that front. He broke his maiden over this course and distance so has plenty going for him here with his trainer also in good form. I fancy that luck in running is all that is required for Fresh to gain a long overdue win. 

David Simcock steps up Morlaix to 2m and has engaged Jamie Spencer to ride this seven-year-old here and both moves look significant. 

Morlaix has certainly lost the winning habit in the past couple of seasons, having been a prolific handicap winner, but he is now 14lb below his last winning mark. 

He is a hold-up horse and needs a decent pace to run at. He’s taken part in a long line of slowly run affairs recently and has had little chance to show his form. 

Spencer is obviously the man for this sort of ride and on paper, at least, it looks like there will be a decent pace in this 0-70 handicap. If that materialises I feel Morlaix may well finally cut through the field and get his head in front again.