4 minutes Racing Post tips expert gives his 'Members Tips' on Racing Post today, are they any good?
3.10 FAKENHAM - INVINCIBLE NAO - 5/2
Tim Barclay Memorial Handicap Chase
"The Dan Skelton-trained Rocky Man, a stablemate of Santos Blue, shapes as potentially the biggest threat off a fair mark if the switch of headgear from blinkers to cheekpieces conjures a better run than he produced on his most recent start at Lingfield in November."
It’s always a pleasure to be racing at Fakenham, a quaint little track in Norfolk that is more undulating than it looks on the television with a pronounced dip between the final two obstacles. Races can sometimes change fast as they make the turn into the straight.
It’s a tight circuit but I’m hoping that the rise from the second-last will help bring Invincible Nao into the mix in the 2m5f handicap chase (3.10) as he looked in need of further last time.
The six-year-old was competing over a furlong and a half further than this at Newbury on that occasion and he stayed on well to finish fourth, close among a bunch of three who were ten lengths adrift of winner Abuffalosoldier. The first four pulled 18 lengths clear of the rest.
Invincible Nao will need to be sharper over this shorter trip but the softer ground here will help as two of his three highest Racing Post Ratings have been achieved on soft or heavy going, including his sole win at Auteuil when trained in France by Emmanuel Clayeux.
This will be the first time the Gary Moore-trained grey has run on ground this testing over fences as his previous three starts all came on going with good in the description. The switch to an easier surface looks certain to bring further improvement from Invincible Nao.
He has dropped 1lb in the weights and should find this small-field event at Fakenham a significantly easier assignment than when facing 12 rivals on his last outing at Newbury.
Caoilin Quinn, who rode last time, is back on board again and the Moore stable is in form.
There is a good meeting at Kelso and I thought seriously about selecting a couple of Donald McCain-trained runners there, specifically Jungle Jack in the 2m handicap hurdle (2.55) and Richmond Lake in the 2m5½f handicap chase (3.25). But the form of the stable is a concern."
TIP RATING: B-
OUR TIP: IMAC WOOD - 11/4
6.45 WOLVERHAMPTON - DUC DE MORNY
Boost Your Acca-Fenwa With BetUK Handicap
"McCain has saddled just two winners this month and that is enough to make me turn to Wolverhampton for my other selection, which comes in the 1m1½f handicap (6.45).
Duc De Morny is without a win since his debut at Compiegne when he was trained by Christophe Ferland in France. He has run only ten times since and made a promising start for new trainer Tom Clover when beaten less than six lengths in a mile handicap at Lingfield recently.
He went off a 50-1 chance that day and probably wasn’t fully wound up on his first start since August last year, but he caught the eye doing some good late work after coming from a long way off the pace to finish just three places behind the reopposing Al Rufaa, who was sixth.
Duc De Morny definitely found a mile around Lingfield’s tight turns too sharp, getting readily outpaced before running on, and he looks certain to appreciate stepping up a furlong and a half in trip. The extra distance can give him the edge over Al Rufaa this time.
He twice wore cheekpieces without success in France but the headgear returns for the first time in Britain in a bid to sharpen him up. He is 3lb lower than for his Lingfield effort.
Clover went 4-19 in the month for January and, while he is 0-8 this month, three of his last five runners have filled the runner-up spot and that is enough to convince me that the yard remains in form. There is every chance Duc De Morny can get them back to winning ways."
TIP RATING: A-
OUR TIP: DU DE MORNY - 11/4
Graeme Rodway is one of the go to tipsters at the Racing Post with solid analysis on all his tips. We prefer his Du De Morny tip in the 6.35 at Wolverhampton, has a solid chance at a decent odds.