Nap of the Day: 11/2 De Romay can be our hero on Wednesday

They've been spread over a couple weeks, but every one of my last five selections for this Nap of the Day column have won, so it's fair to say we're in good nick at the moment.

Taken to extend this winning run to six in a row on Wednesday is a chasing debutant for an in-form yard at Haydock.

The second of six races at Haydock on Wednesday is a highly-competitive novices' handicap chase over 2m5½f.

Whatdeawant, who was third in the Ballymore Novices' Hurdle at the 2022 Cheltenham Festival for Willie Mullins, makes his second start for Lucinda Russell and White Rhino, a comfortable winner on his chasing debut at Ayr last month, bids to go in again off just five pounds higher.

President Scottie and Beneficially Yours are dangerous too, but my preference is for HEROS DE ROMAY.

I've been waiting patiently for this seven-year-old gelding to get going over the bigger obstacles, for I fancy him to be a completely different proposition in this discipline.

His trainer Kim Bailey shares that opinion, telling AtTheRaces in a recent stable tour that the son of My Risk "is very much a chaser, not a hurdler."

The fact he - a half-brother to stablemate Espoir De Romay who reached a mark of 160 after falling two out when in command of the G1 Mildmay Novices' Chase over 3m1f at Aintree in 2021 - was able to win a bumper over the minimum trip is indicative of his ability, and I really liked what he did on hurdling debut at Chepstow in November last year.

He narrowly denied Philip Hobbs & Johnson White's Livin On Luco that day, and he went on to record form figures of F1222 in his subsequent five runs over hurdles, earning a mark in the low 120s.

The selection then travelled to Wincanton and I fancied him to follow up, but he was beaten almost 10 lengths into third. My immediate reaction was one of disappointment, but the winner Lord Of Thunder is now rated 129 and I think he could end up around the 140 mark over fences this term, so I look kinder on it in hindsight.

His subsequent 28-length defeat at Chepstow isn't actually terrible when you consider the winner ended the season 15lbs higher following a brilliant third in the Pertemps Final at the Cheltenham Festival in March, but it was a quick turnaround and he jumped poorly so I'm inclined to forgive it anyway.

I'd say Heros De Romay's form over hurdles puts him around his mark of 122 anyway, so if he indeed improves dramatically for a fence then there's every chance he'll do what his trainer told AtTheRaces and "win stacks of races".

The heavy, soft in places going at Haydock is sure to suit and Bailey is going great guns at the moment, with five wins from 14 runners (36 per cent strike rate) in the past fortnight.

There's lots to like about this one and odds of 11/2 are very attractive in my book.

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