Kempton Tips: Williams’ youngster can Excel again

The May Bank Holiday Monday brings with it a typically frantic racing schedule with a whopping seven meetings across the UK and Ireland. Flat racing is from the Curragh, Beverley, Windsor and Bath, while they go over jumps at Down Royal, Warwick and Kempton. 

We're focused on the Kempton offering, with six races at the Sunbury-on-Thames venue from 14:55-17:50. Our trio of fancies includes an improving novice for the Jane Williams yard who can topple a couple of last-time-out winners in the opening novices' hurdle. Here are our Kempton tips for Monday, May 6.

14:55 Kempton – Excelero @ 6/5

The opener on the Bank Holiday offering is the Kempton Park Working With The Community Novices' Hurdle over two miles and it features a field of eight contenders. 

Last-time-out winner Mirabad for Dr Richard Newland & Jamie Insole and Ryan's Pocket for Fergal O'Brien and new stable jockey Johnny Burke are solid contenders after their scores at Wincanton and Taunton but they may do well to concede 6lb to Market Rasen scorer EXCELERO for the Jane Williams yard. 

The four-year-old was very green on his debut when second at Warwick (2m, soft) in November and then showed improved form to be fourth at Cheltenham in January in a Triumph Hurdle Trial won by the talented subsequent Aintree Grade 1 winner Sir Gino for Nicky Henderson. 

With a tendency to be keen in his races, Excelero sported a hood at Market Rasen (2m½f, soft) last month and, despite still looking a work in progress, he came clear late on for a 14-length win, marking himself down as potentially useful in doing so. If he improves again, he should be hard to topple. 

16:05 Kempton – Unanswered Prayers @ 8/1

Amongst the features on the card is the Heart Of The Community Since 1878 Handicap Chase, a Class 3 event over three miles. 

There is an open look to the nine-runner field, with in-form pair Quick Draw and Neon Moon attempting to follow up victories on their most recent starts but preference is for UNANSWERED PRAYERS to turn in a winning show for Chris Gordon and Rex Dingle. 

He hasn't tasted success since his chasing bow at Cheltenham (2m4f, good) in November 2022, a nine-race sequence. 

He was going well at Ascot in November when falling at the last and was a touch unfortunate to unseat back there soon after. 

Well beaten here at the Christmas meeting, he went for a wind op and duly shaped better in an £85k Premier Handicap over course and distance in February. 

In his only run since he was third behind a rejuvenated Cap Du Nord at Plumpton in a more valuable contest than this five weeks ago. 

The assessor has dropped him a further 2lb and he's on a mark from which he should strike soon at a track where he has threatened before. 

17:50 Kempton – Menaggio @ 9/2 

The final offering on the card is the Donate Food To Your Local Foodbank Handicap Hurdle over 2m5f and it's a competitive affair, one in which Alan King's MENAGGIO may be up to making a winning start in handicaps. 

The Milan gelding debuted over hurdles here in November and, after a runner-up effort next time at Plumpton in December, got on the scoresheet at Hereford over this sort of trip in late January on good to soft ground under Tom Cannon, coming clear with a next-time-out winner in a decent race. 

He was back here in March to finish third over C&D behind Fergal O'Brien's Kamsinas and Dan Skelton's Be Aware – the latter since finishing second in Sandown's Novices' Championship Final Handicap Hurdle off a mark of 124. 

Starting out off 118, with Gavin Sheehan on board, Menaggio should have more to come.