SILVER GROOM can land yet another big handicap for Reg Akehurst at Kempton today. The seven year old should have the £20,000 added Sun King Of The Punters Lanzarote Handicap Hurdle set up perfectly for him.
The field for this two mile contest is packed full of front runners, so a strong pace is guaranteed and a horse ridden for a turn of speed on this very fast track will be at a decided advantage.
Silver Groom fits the bill exactly. He has a tremendous change of pace, as he showed when sprinting away with a valuable handicap on the Flat at Goodwood two seasons ago.
The gelding comes here in good heart too, having followed a smooth hurdles victory at Ascot with fourth to Make A Stand in a valuable event at Sandown where the track and the pace of the race were much less in his favour.
And the declaration of Haydock bound Pridwell has helped him too, leaving him with just 10st 8lb to carry while six of his rivals are out of the handicap.
Firmish ground at Kempton renders the rearranged Victor Chandler Handicap Chase less than competitive, with the effectiveness of leading fancies Viking Flagship and Ask Tom sure to be reduced. Storm Alert has already scored three times on a similar surface this term and looks a fair bet to make it four today.
Cheltenham clues are likely to be thick on the ground at Haydock. Unguided Missile can further his claims for the Tote Gold Cup with victory in the Peter Marsh Chase.
He was highly impressive in taking the Edward Hanmer Chase over course and distance in November and put up a high class effort in the Betterware Cup at Ascot last time.
Bimsey need only reproduce the form he showed when second to Large Action last time to be hard to beat in the Bellcharm Mitsubishi Champion Hurdle Trial. And Pleasure Shared can show himself a serious Stayers' Hurdle candidate by lifting the Tote Premier Lone Distance Hurdle.
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