Nap of the Day: Godolphin colt can take big step forward

It's so cold in the UK at the moment that Lingfield's all-weather meeting on Friday is even under threat! The Surrey track must pass a 07:30am inspection for the Nap of the Day to at least give us a run for our money.

Hopefully it survives, for I really fancy a Charlie Appleby-trained Godolphin colt to get off the mark at the second attempt.

Andrew Balding's Plage De Havre clearly sets the standard ahead of this 1m2f maiden, but the four-year-old must concede a whopping 23lbs to his main market rivals.

His mark of 80 looks fair and I expect him to run to form, but I'm not convinced there's all that much improvement to come even at this early stage of his career.

There ought to be plenty of improvement in Charlie Appleby's TRIBAL ACT, however, after an encouraging debut at Kempton just before Christmas.

The three-year-old son of Sea The Stars was friendless in Surrey against preferred stablemate Aegean Prince, sent off odds-on after finishing a close third on debut at Chelmsford a month prior, and he ran like a juvenile very much in need of the experience.

He was slow out the gates and forced to race in rear for the majority of the contest, before making good headway amid greenness turning for home. His chance of victory was long gone, but he caught the eye in staying on all the way to the line after the penny finally dropped in the final few furlongs.

That seven-length defeat should be marked up considerably. Not only because of everything he did wrong on his first day at school, but he was gelded just a couple of months earlier.

With a better break and hopefully a more efficient style of racing, he must have every chance of beating the aforementioned Plage De Havre in receipt of all that weight.

What about the rest of the nine-strong field? Newcomers Sawgrass and Romance In Rome for Hughie Morrison and Ollie Sangster respectively should be watched closely in the market, but it's Pride Of Donegal who represents the main danger.

Charlie Johnston's three-year-old has shown a decent level of form in his two starts to date and it would be no shock were he to win, but he's been off the track for 50 days and I suspect he's one for handicaps once he's awarded an opening mark next time out.

Otherwise, this looks a modest affair. Formal Address and Star Of Jupiter have loads to find on all known form, while Ruby Kendyl and Skimming Along make little appeal first time out.

I think there'll be plenty of stern faces if Tribal Act isn't up to winning a race of this quality.

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