Nap of the Day: Ellerton ready for Wincanton win

Just a trio of UK meetings make up Monday's quota on a relatively low-key start to Grand National week.

They come at Wincanton and Newcastle over jumps alongside all-weather fare from Wolverhampton in the evening. Monday's NAP was a Boxing Day eyecatcher at Wincanton and could now thrive back there for new connections.

Joe Tizzard and Brendan Powell are often a good team to follow at Wincanton, behind only Paul Nicholls and Harry Cobden numerically in terms of winners at this Somerset layout across the last five seasons.

ELLERTON is a new recruit to the Venn Farm team and the five-year-old has scope for improvement despite being 0-10 over hurdles since arriving from France.

The Zoustar gelding was a solid maiden on the Flat for Tim Donworth on the continent and was launched straight into a Triumph Hurdle Trial at Cheltenham in November 2023 on debut for Syd Hosie.

Promise was then shown at Fontwell on two occasions before he found things too hot in another Cheltenham Grade 2, won by Sir Gino, 13 months ago.

He also shaped well in handicaps at Hereford, Newton Abbot and Stratford before switching to Anthony Charlton in the summer.

His best run in three for that yard was at this track over 1m7f on Boxing Day when making good late headway from an unpromising position to finish fourth under claiming rider Jay Tidball.

That run suggested a step up in trip would aid Ellerton but 3m at Taunton in January proved too far. This intermediate trip looks well worth exploring based on that Christmas run and he's rated 3lb lower now.

Powell is in the plate for the first time this afternoon and this is a lower grade than the contest he shaped well in at the track in December.

The in-form Seahouses rates the one to beat but the market should not prove shy in establishing that and Ellerton looks like a decent alternative to the forecast favourite in a thin race, especially if the change of scenery from his switch to the Tizzard operation has a positive effect.

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Nap Of The Day from Betfred Insights