Riding Into The Sunset

Once again, the rain has come to throw a spanner in the works - today's meeting at Chepstow was due to be run on a sound surface, and many of the entries were horses who have been waiting for what we can only ironically refer to as "spring ground". A pair who have already been taken out would have featured among my bets of the day, but hopefully for Quipe Me Posted and Nothingbutthetruth, there will be another sunny day on which to go to war.

As it stands, several of the races at the Monmouthshire venue are less competitive than they had first appeared, notably the concluding 3m handicap hurdle, where several of the more interesting acceptors look to need a sound surface.

The race will probably cut up further, but a pair who make plenty of appeal at current odds are The Good Guy and Barton Gift. The former is a front runner who has faced inadequate tests since a creditable third over this trip at Sandown in November, but he was noted staying on late in a handicap chase at Leicester last time, and will appreciate the return to 3m and a dozen flights of hurdles. He could face competition for the lead from Rainbow Haze, but the latter is definitely one for faster ground, and would be a welcome non-runner from my point of view.

Barton Gift's claims are more obvious, having shown improved form in the mud on his last 2 starts, winning at Ffos  Las and running well to be placed at Exeter last time. He will be better suited than any by further rainfall, and looks poised for another big run under the excellent Nico de Boinville.

Nico will hopefully be trying for a double at that stage, as he rides my main fancy in the preceding handicap chase. Massini's Sunset has rightly been called a few names in the past, and he is a moody character who gives his running sparingly. He showed that he was no back number when second to the much-improved Jupiter Rex at Plumpton before one of his off days here last time, though, and it's just over a year ago that he turned a similar C&D contest into a procession at equally unflattering odds.

The veteran's record at Chepstow reads pretty well, and while there will always be a large element of risk with him, he simply shouldn't be a 33/1 shot given his quicksilver temperament.  I'd also recommend having at least a saver on Loughalder, who is also a quirky sort, but has won both his starts over C&D, and looked set to score again at Warwick until his stamina gave out over the 29f trip last time.

Recommendations:

all at Chepstow

Back Massini Sunset & Loughalder @ [19.0] & [7.4] in the 17:30

Back Barton Gift & The Good Guy @ [5.2] & [17.5] in the 18:00