Friday tips: Dave Nevison likes three at Exeter

Jane Williams has her string in excellent form at present and that factor, plus the fact that Jamiska has won or finished second on her latest starts coming after a break, persuades me that this mare will be ready to go in here.

She did very well in the autumn and then finishing placed in a Grade Two and a Listed hurdle on her latest starts. She returns to handicap company for the first time in more than a year and has definitely improved in the interim.

Her mark of 117 looks far from prohibitive and, whilst this is definitely a competitive event, she could well be up to it.

I have a couple of angles into this race. Firstly, my grandma’s system of backing horses age 10, carrying 10-10 ( 9 9-9 was her favourite, she died skint!) but perhaps more relevant is that this is a competitive Veterans' event full of the usual suspects with the exception of Genois, who is carrying bottom weight.

In being a ten-year-old, he has only just become eligible for these races and, unlike most of the contenders, might well still have upside in him. The O’Neill team certainly seem to have got him jumping better this season and he has run two very good races at Wetherby recently, winning on his penultimate start.

Modest jumping had meant his form tailed off last season and he dropped a fair bit in the weigh,t but even after the two good runs he could still be well enough to beat some very exposed rivals.

This is a basement level handicap populated by chasers who aren’t going to make their way out of this grade, but Ted The Thief might well be a much more exciting prospect.

He absolutely bolted up at Taunton after his only conceivable rival departed at the last fence (most felt he would have won in any event) and has only gone up 6lb for that success.

He is only six and that win came off the back of decent efforts on his previous couple of starts. He jumps well and goes well for Harry Kimber, and should be able to follow up.