Dave Nevison's tips for final day of jumps season on Saturday

Harry Derham is ending this season pretty much as he started it, in excellent form, and could end up on a high with this exciting novice. Court In The Act won the good novices hurdle at Kempton on Boxing Day, beating two next-time-out winners in the process.

He has since run a good second at Ludlow where he was 23 lengths clear of the third and even though he carries his head high in his races, Court In The Act has shown that he can get the job done. A mark of 119 looks very fair to me for his handicap debut and he has won a bumper as well as a hurdle on good ground so clearly goes well on this kind of surface. He has also run well in a big field previously so I am expecting a good run here.  

Ben Pauling’s eight-year-old has definitely been overlooked in this and at the time of writing can be backed at an insulting 50/1. The claims of Kitty's Light and the Mullins trio are obvious and I could easily have suggested backing any of them, but at the odds it has to be an each-way bet on Bangers And Cash as I can see a strong case for expecting him to place at least.

Bangers and Cash has good form at Sandown and has run well there on his last two starts. He was a close third last time over three miles and might have been closer but for losing a shoe. That was his first run after wind surgery and he looks very much as though he may have been improved for the operation. He is very well handicapped being back to his latest winning mark here and he may well benefit from this step back up to a trip which he has shown before that he appreciates.

He missed out Cheltenham and Aintree and I feel it is highly likely Ben Pauling (who remains in excellent form) has kept him for this handicap since that good course effort as he seems to run best with a break between races. Pauling might not be as happy that this year’s race is a seriously competitive renewal but this horse has a great profile for this contest and looks a tremendous value each-way bet.

Nickle Back is a stone higher in the ratings than when he last appeared in a handicap at Stratford back in November - but he could still be well treated for this. He won that Stratford race by 19 lengths, but has since run in four Graded chases, finishing runner up twice in Grade 2 races before taking the Grade One Scilly Isles at Sandown on his penultimate start.

His latest race ar Aintree can be completely ignored as he was badly hampered at the start, which as a front runner completely ruined his chance. In any case, he faces nothing of the calibre of Found A Fifty here and I feel he could well boss this event on a track that is proven to suit him very well. 

Ike Sport is not often seen which is a mild concern and he ran out at Wincanton last time out which is  possibly an even bigger worry, but when we do see him and he is on form he looks very talented indeed. I am hoping he was just very fresh when he ran out last time and his trainer obviously feels no harm was done by getting him out again so quickly.

Ike Sport beat four next-time-out winners by nine lengths and much more when he bolted up at Worcester in September and I feel that even though it was early-season form he has been under-rated by the handicapper. Neil Mulholland is employing Adam Ryan a fair bit at the moment and the 7lb he claims might go some way to negating the fact that the horse will need to defy a handicap mark higher than he has ever won off before.

He's clearly a bit of a character but if the jockey can keep him on the straight and narrow, I think the partnership can go close in a seriously competitive final race of the jumps season.