Nap of the Day: 2/1 Plaisir can please punters on Friday

I'm told Thursday's Nap went quite short in-running before getting collared late on after a messy jump at the last. A frustrating watch, but you can't win them all in this great game.

We go to Bangor on Friday hoping to regain the winning thread, which is exactly what the Nap of the Day is looking to do.

Fergal O'Brien's PLAISIR DES FLOS won five in a row towards the end of last season and into the early stages of this one, rising a whopping 36lbs in the handicap.

The five-year-old son of Joshua Tree was rated just 82 when tasting victory for the first time at Sedgefield in the spring, and he turned up at Cheltenham's November Meeting off 118.

He failed to land the six-timer at HQ, but was far from disgraced in going down by just over a length to the equally-progressive Double Powerful, who had also won his previous five.

Some of the selection's other form is relatively top notch. He gave over a stone to Jasmin De Grugy, rated 73 at the time, at Wincanton in March and that rival is now as high as 119 following a string of four wins. Mr Hope Street was in receipt of five pounds when Plaisir De Flos beat him at Carlisle on seasonal reappearance in October, and he's won twice since and will be at least 17lbs higher when reassessed.

I don't think a further four-pound rise is harsh for that placed effort at Prestbury Park, especially in the context of this 0-130 handicap hurdle over 2m7f.

It's O'Brien's gelding's first try at the trip, which can lead to further improvement, and I don't think the opposition is nearly as daunting as it was the last day.

Thanksforthehelp is feared to an extent, as he can be very good when putting everything together, but he's extremely inconsistent and is declared for Cheltenham on Sunday, so his participation is in doubt anyway.

Mahland was also progressive in the spring but he returns from a 241-day layoff and may need the run, while I don't believe El Granjero holds any secrets from the handicapper.

On a line through the aforementioned Double Powerful, the selection ought to have Strackan covered - and the other four runners, namely Schalke, Neo King, Astronomic View and Captain Potter, are hard to advise.

There's a chance we'll be hit with a Rule 4 if David Pipe's horse is indeed withdrawn, but it shouldn't be too hefty and I think Plaisir Des Flos could go off pretty short in that instance, so I'd advise backing him now. He should be hard to beat.

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