Wednesday Racing Tips: Bert’s your Uncle at Chepstow

Jumps action dominates the racing scene in the UK & Ireland on Wednesday, with six meetings taking place across the afternoon and into the evening.

First off is Wetherby, before they go at Chepstow, Leopardstown, Limerick, Kempton and Wolverhampton.

Amongst our Wednesday fancies is a fascinating Kempton runner dropping into a handicap for the in-form Dan Skelton.

13:05 Chepstow - First Flow @ 2/1

Kim Bailey's First Flow must have a massive chance in the 2m3f handicap chase at Chepstow. The forecast rain is in this soft ground lover’s favour and, despite edging towards his 12th birthday, he continues to hold his form superbly.

He returned with an excellent second over 2m1f at Ascot behind Boothill, who followed up in a similar contest a few weeks later, and gives the impression this longer trip is ideal for him nowadays.

It is easy to imagine First Flow picking up a soft lead here and being tough to peg back in the conditions. There is little doubt early favourite Good Risk At All remains a good chasing prospect, but he is yet to totally convince in the jumping department.

Any weaknesses there will be exposed by First Flow, who needs to be relatively fresh in order to show his best. Expect a big performance from Bailey’s stable stalwart as he returns from 53 days off.

13:40 Chepstow - Uncle Bert @ 3/1

The other runner to pique the interest at Chepstow is Uncle Bert in the 3m handicap hurdle.

Uncle Bert kept good company over hurdles last season and ended his novice campaign by pulling up in the Grade 1 Mersey Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree.

That was clearly too tricky an examination for Uncle Bert given how brilliantly the form has worked out with the winner, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and ninth all winning high-class races since, a group that includes recent Long Walk scorer Crambo.

It appears that Uncle Bert has been running over the wrong trip and the step up to a staying distance can see him improve past his mark of 124 under Sam Twiston-Davies for father Nigel.

A faller when sent off the market leader for a much deeper race than this at Cheltenham off 1lb higher two starts back, Uncle Bert caught the eye with a keeping-on fifth having been held up at Newbury last time when not beaten far by the second.

That display generously earned him a 1lb drop from the assessor, and the lightly raced six-year-old can take this before moving on to bigger and better things.

13:55 Kempton - Bourbali @ 15/2

Early markets suggest the Grade 2 Wayward Lad Novices’ Chase at Kempton is a two-horse race between Nickle Back and Master Chewy. That might be incorrect.

Nickle Back’s trainer Sarah Humphrey doesn’t seem to be particularly bullish about the drop back to two miles for him and that is despite his exuberant front-running style, while Master Chewy has been beaten at skinny odds the last twice.

The bet simply has to be Bourbali at the prices. We can ignore his pulling up on his chasing debut at Exeter two starts back as the saddle slipped forward and cost him any chance. He is instead better judged on his impressive defeat of high-class hurdler First Street here a week later in November.

Bourbali had no right to win that on the figures and, while two-runner contests are always worth treating with a degree of caution, this race could play into his hands as he does stay a good bit further. There should be loads more to come from him in chases.

14:30 Kempton - Nube Negra @ 5/2

Turning the Desert Orchid Chase into a handicap has proved to be an inspired move by race organisers.

Nube Negra beat the great Altior in this a few years ago when it was a conditions race and simply has to be of interest in its new format, considering he has dropped to a handicap mark of 155.

Decent ground has always been the key to Nube Negra, a surface he hasn’t experienced since running away with a poor-quality Shloer Chase last November.

There isn’t enough evidence to suggest this nine-year-old is on the wane and he surely has a good shot here, particularly as he is 10lb better off with Editeur Du Gite after finishing second on unsuitably soft ground in the previous running.