Nap of the Day: Rock House to score for Skeltons

Lots of racing action across Britain and Ireland on Thursday with five meetings down to take place. They go over jumps at Cork, Sedgefield, Chepstow and Ludlow ahead of the evening all-weather card at Newcastle.

The NAP of the Day this Thursday runs for the first time over fences for Dan and Harry Skelton and can make an instant impact, as he has done in points, bumpers and hurdles races.

15:55 Ludlow Odds

Dan and Harry Skelton didn't quite manage to repeat the heroics of 2024, when the yard sent out four Cheltenham Festival winners, but they were on the scoresheet in the Cotswolds last week nonetheless via The New Lion in the Turners Novices' Hurdle.

Their unbeaten star turn looks a really bright prospect with a big future ahead of him, whether that is over hurdles or fences, and there could even be another dance for him at Aintree or Punchestown this spring.

The brothers combine in this Lycetts Insurance Novices' Handicap Chase over two-and-a-half-miles with ROCK HOUSE, a Westerner gelding making his first foray over regulation fences.

He was successful on his debut in a point-to-point and repeated the feat in bumpers/over hurdles during 2023 with wins at Huntingdon and Worcester.

He went 0-3 in the remainder of his novice season over timber, though did run well in the Grade 2 Persian War at Chepstow when third behind Captain Teague.

This season began with a third-place finish at Huntingdon in December and another at Southwell on New Year's Day (both 2m, soft) before coming up well short in the Morebattle Hurdle at Kelso at the start of this month.

He was a 16/1 chance in that Class 2 contest, with the winner Cracking Rhapsody anything bar disgraced in the County Hurdle at Cheltenham last week in seventh spot behind Kargese.

Rock House now starts out life over fences off a mark of 118 and that could be exploitable. He faces three rivals at Ludlow and this can prove an excellent piece of placement from Dan Skelton.

Ostrava Du Berlais is a dual winner over fences but is starting to look exposed now and passed up a good chance last time at Warwick.

Idy Wood meanwhile gives weight to the field and hasn't gone on from his success at Kempton (2m2f, good) in October, while River Robe is unplaced in six starts over these obstacles.

Rock House is fancied to take to this discipline at the first time of asking and, in that scenario, he should prove a tough nut to crack under Harry Skelton.

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