1.07 Bangor: Mossy Fen Coolio (nap)
Jonjo & A.J. O'Neill had a week to remember with the double at Cheltenham and perhaps Mossy Fen Coolio is a horse in the yard that can have some big targets of his own in the future.
Admittedly, he maybe did not meet market expectations (well-backed 2/1) at Wincanton in January but with the benefit of hindsight that was a strong race, won by Pourquois Pas Papa, who ran extremely well at the Cheltenham Festival and with next-time winner Aguellid in second, and this is a significantly weaker race.
He will be a short price but I'm anticipating a lot of improvement from this well-bred son of Kayf Tara, who was an impressive winner of a point to point last year.
2.10 Kelso: Beauty In The Park (each-way)
Khrisma is a worthy favourite for this big-field mares’ handicap and may prove too classy for them, but she is a very short price and with several bookmakers offering five places 1/5 odds I think it's worth having a bit on the progressive Beauty In The Park at the 11-1 on offer at the time of writing.
Paul Nicholls' mare has improved with experience over hurdles and although she was beaten at Taunton in January I was impressed by her attitude in defeat.
She then went back to the same track to decisively land the odds and open her account a couple of weeks later, clocking a good time in the process. She's a well-bred mare, being a Walk In The Park half-sister to multiple winner Thirtyfourstitches (rated 132 at peak), and I think there's a chance an opening mark of 114 underestimates her.
The stable is in good form too, with four winners sent out over the past six days before racing on Friday.
2.40 Kelso: Moon Phases (each-way)
Moon Phases started promisingly over fences earlier in the season, getting touched off at this track before a hard-fought win at Newcastle, interestingly recording his stable's only success through a very quiet January, and I felt back at Kelso last time he was just ridden a bit too negatively to be seen to best effect, also making a couple of late mistakes in what was a steadily-run affair.
A £150,000 purchase, he retains plenty of potential and with a more truly-run race on the cards here I'm hopeful this race will suit him much better than last time, whilst a flurry of winners in the early part of this month suggests the Russell/Scudamore yard are generally in much better form now. He's a top price of 8-1 at the time of writing.
4.23 Kelso: King Kubala
I wouldn't have too many bets in bumpers but I noted King Kubala running a promising third at this track in November, made all the more noteworthy by the fact the Sandy Thomson stable was very quiet at that stage of the season. He was as green as grass that day, rolling around off the bridle, but still looked a threat approaching the final furlong before tiring.
I'm viewing the fact he's been given plenty of time as a positive as he'll hopefully be all the wiser now and this doesn't look a particularly strong bumper despite the good prize money.