Monday Racing Tips: Lucy Wadham’s Fakenham dominance to continue

Jump racing holds sway across Britain on Monday, with two National Hunt meetings taking place across the afternoon before we head to Wolverhampton for a Flat card in the evening. First up is Fakenham, Carlisle is sadly off, then it's Kempton.

Amongst our Monday fancies is one for trainer Lucy Wadham, who has an exceptional strike rate at Fakenham.

13:30 Fakenham - Scene One @ 7/4

Fakenham is trainer Lucy Wadham's favourite hunting ground, with a brilliant 27 per cent return there in the last five seasons, sending out 20 winners from 74 runners.

She has two runners at the track on Monday, but the most interesting of the pair is Scene One, who will be partnered by Bryony Frost.

This gelding ran to a decent level over timber and was very impressive when making all in a maiden at Warwick over 2m3f when last seen in April.

Scene One looks like the type that will fill into an even better chaser, and an opening mark of 106 on handicap debut looks more than fair on his return to action.

14:05 Fakenham - Colonel Whizz @ 11/2

Colonel Whizz is a well-bred son of Soldier of Fortune, who shaped like he needed this step up in trip when second in a Market Rasen bumper in May.

He was outpaced when sixth of 11 runners over the extended two miles in a novice hurdle at Newton Abbot on hurdling debut when last seen, but the step up to 2m4f should see him run a much better race.

Olly Murphy is another trainer with a brilliant strike rate around Fakenham, operating at 20 per cent in the last five seasons, and this is his sole runner of the day.

Martin Keighley's Shinji won a bumper here when trained by Roger Varian and was subsequently sold for £60,000. He ran well in second behind a runaway winner at Stratford last month and merits respect.

15:30 Kempton - Voice Of Calm @ 16/1

Emma Lavelle's Voice Of Calm ran better than her finishing position would suggest when she was third of four runners at Ludlow last month, and she can land the 2m4½f Mares' Handicap Chase.

That run was her first start in 174 days, and she led the race until the third last, where fatigue and lack of race fitness kicked in on the turn for the home straight.

A three-time winner over hurdles, her sole success over larger obstacles to date came at Leicester in a match race in February. She rounded off her campaign last season with a poor effort in a Grade 2 Handicap at Cheltenham.

Now she has had her spin over hurdles on seasonal reappearance to blow the cobwebs away, Voice Of Calm should strip much fitter now, and she remains well treated off a mark of 122.

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