Friday tips: Dave Nevison has fancies at Sandown and Ascot

Since he made his debut, War Howl has been pretty much binary with a disappointing run followed by a more promising effort. 

Previous connections had obviously become frustrated and sold the gelding to The Horse Watchers for £20,000. 

The binary sequence has been continued for his new connections with a poor run sandwiched between two very promising efforts but I am hoping things will change after the four-year-old’s excellent effort to win at Doncaster last time. 

He has been raised 6lb but is still below the mark he ran very well from last season, and he looks like he could be an improved performer. A stiff 7f suits him well and he should go well here. 

The Marcus Tregoning-trained gelding does not do much too quickly, but he has steadily improved and looks like he may still have more upside to judge by his latest start. 

The four-year-old stayed on well at Goodwood last time, looking very well suited by this trip, to be beaten just ¾ of a length in a competitive handicap. 

A 1lb rise, bringing him back up to a mark of 66, looks justified and with further progress looking likely I feel he is now capable of winning, for all he was beaten off this rating a couple of times last season. 

Man Of La Mancha looked like he may well run up a sequence after he won at Windsor, but things have not really gone for him in two subsequent starts, and he has met trouble in running. 

He has possibly taken on very promising types, but definitely could have finished closer with better fortune. 

Ralph Beckett’s three-year-old just needs a bit of luck in running to show that he can win off this mark - 8lb higher than for his win - but I feel he is well up to it if he gets the breaks.