NAP of the Day: Cobden to get a Solo in the Haldon Gold Cup?

The big race on Friday is the Haldon Gold Cup Handicap Chase - a Grade 2 contest over 2m1½f - at Exeter.

Six go to post - and I'm keen on one for Paul Nicholls, who's won this race a record eight times.

The most recent Nicholls-trained winner of the Haldon Gold Cup was Greaneteen last year. He made all under Harry Cobden - something I hope to be saying again on Friday afternoon.

Cobden partners Solo - a Grade 2 winner at Kempton just two starts ago - this year and looks to have another great chance.

Harry's a brilliant and versatile jockey, but for me he's at his very best from the front. He gets horses into a fantastic rhythm, sometimes having races won as early as the halfway marker.

Likewise, Solo's best performances have been when he takes the lead. The seven-year-old did exactly that on last year's seasonal reappearance, when bolting up in a Sandown handicap off a mark of 135, and again in the aforementioned Graded victory at Kempton.

Especially with most of his recent form coming over longer trips, I suspect they'll deploy front-running tactics again, and if he jumps as well as we know he can he could be hard to peg back.

His best form entitles him to win a race like this, and you can only take further confidence from Nicholls' particularly bullish comments about his chances.

"Since the horses came back into training in mid-July, this has been the target for Solo. He looks made for it. He goes well fresh, loves to go right-handed and won't mind any cut in the ground.

"He had an away-day in Lambourn last week which should have put him spot on, so Friday's race is the plan."

As for his rivals, I think it's a big ask for nine-year-old Editeur Du Gite to win this off a mark of 165. Then the other four - namely War Lord, Brave Seasca, Indiana Jones and Elixir De Nutz - all boast similar claims.

Mouse Morris is a very shrewd operator and doesn't send them over for a day out, as we saw when Gentlemansgame beat Bravemansgame in the Charlie Hall at Wetherby last weekend. Therefore, you have to respect Indiana Jones and substantial market support should be noted.

Brave Seasca, who's dropped to an attractive mark of 148, is another one to watch after wind surgery and a lay-off, but ultimately I'm very hopeful that Cobden & Solo can take this from the front.