Nap of the Day: 5/2 Chief can rule on chase debut

Last week was disappointing on the tipping front. Only one Nap of the Day, albeit an 11/4 shot, obliged and I drew a blank on Saturday, with the Nap suffering a fatal injury at Chepstow. My thoughts go out to all connected to the much-loved Cuthbert Dibble.

Hopefully we're in for more joy this week, starting with one at Market Rasen I've got high hopes for this season.

I'm really looking forward to seeing Alan King's THE DOYEN CHIEF make his debut over fences in this 0-130 handicap over 2m5½f, for I suspect he could be very well handicapped off a mark of 125.

The seven-year-old fetched £110k at the sales a couple years ago and made a winning start under rules when taking a bumper at Hereford in April last year in good style. A useful bumper, too, with Lump Sum, who won the Welsh Champion Hurdle at Chepstow on Sunday, four lengths behind in third.

Then, after a summer break, he went to Ludlow in November and gave Nicky Henderson's 4/7 favourite Choccabloc a fright on his first attempt over hurdles. Given that rival, who boasted strong form in bumpers and went to Shropshire having already had the benefit of a run, is now rated 128, that reads very well.

As does his subsequent victory here at Market Rasen before Christmas. He beat Dan Skelton's Take No Chances, who had the rest of the field over 17 lengths behind, by a widening 6½L, and she's now rated 136 and placed off that mark in the Silver Trophy Handicap Hurdle at Chepstow on Saturday.

The selection failed to complete on his handicap debut at Lingfield in the new year, as he unseated jockey Tom Cannon three out, but he made amends by recording a second success over flights at Taunton just weeks later.

Horse Racing Odds

The shortest trip of his hurdling career to date (2m3f) on a tight track wouldn't have seen this horse to best effect, and the 124-rated second has since been raised a couple of pounds by the handicapper, so that's fair form again.

All that suggests to me that The Doyen Chief has a good bit in hand off his current mark - especially when you consider the improvement that ought to follow now he tackles the bigger obstacles.

The son of Doyen - who'd have guessed? - was a PTP winner presumably bought to be a chaser, and he's been schooling well at home, so I'm very hopeful on that front.

Fitness is the concern, as is often the case at this stage of the season, but King's National Hunt horses have been going well (he's operating at a 19% strike rate since the start of April) and he enjoyed a winner at Chepstow's Jump Season Opener with one making his seasonal reappearance, so there's reason to be optimistic about that too.

The 16:05 Market Rasen Odds at time of publication suggests Mylesfromwicklow is the main danger. I disagree. Skelton's string tend to need their comeback run and a mark of 130 overrates this seven-year-old, who's already had seven starts over fences, in my book.

Hidden Depths for the in-form Neil Mulholland rates a greater danger as far as I'm concerned, but the selection has significantly more potential than all five of his rivals and I fancy he could be around 10lbs - maybe even more - higher in the handicap come the end of the season.

In that case, he really should be winning start on Tuesday.

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