Nap of the Day: ‘Smart’ 4/1 shot can take another step forward

Windsor's three-day Winter Million Festival begins on Friday and my Nap of the Day goes in the second race on the card.

Lucinda Russell's MYRETOWN is a horse I've got a lot of time for, and I'm looking forward to seeing what he can do in this novices' handicap chase over three miles at Windsor on Friday.

The eight-year-old son of Dylan Thomas, who fetched a lofty £135k back in May 2022, was slow to come to hand early on in his career, losing at 5/6f in a bumper before finishing a remote second on hurdling debut at Ayr in January last year.

He looked a shoo-in before falling at the final flight back at the Scottish venue a month later, but made amends next time out at Kelso, bolting up by 11 lengths in an admittedly weak race.

The plan was for him to go to Aintree's Grand National Festival subsequently, for the G1 Sefton Novices' Hurdle his trainer has won twice in the last four years, but he suffered a minor injury and wasn't seen again for the rest of the season.

Fast-forward 264 days and the "smart prospect", as Russell labelled him in a stable tour with Sporting Life, was fifth in a red-hot novices' handicap at Newbury on his first attempt over the bigger obstacles.

Talk about being thrown in at the deep end. The winner Kalif Du Berlais is now rated 16lbs higher and has an entry in the Queen Mother Champion Chase at the 2025 Cheltenham Festival, while the second, third and fourth have all given the form a stronger look in the meantime.

He was beaten far enough in Berkshire, but considering he was racing over the minimum trip on quicker ground than ideal against clearly well-handicapped rivals, I thought it was a fairly encouraging effort.

The selection then went to Wetherby on Boxing Day for a three-runner affair over 2m3½f and took a significant step forward, bolting up by 19 lengths. Small-field races can be tricky to assess, but this was run at a decent gallop and the 119-rated runner-up, fresh off a victory, did little wrong in-running.

What I enjoyed most about Myretown's performance was how far he pulled clear after pecking on landing two out. The further he went, the better he got, so stepping up to three miles for the first time ought to suit.

The handicapper only raised him two pounds for that effort, which I think is generous. There's no reason to think the runner-up underperformed, so I think he's got away with one on that front.

Friday's assignment is undoubtedly tougher, but the majority of his six rivals have questions to answer in my book.

Gericault Roque returns from over two years off the track, while Deafening Silence, Kyntara and Bhaloo need to bounce back from disappointing efforts.

Herakles Westwood must defy a hefty seven-pound rise for winning a race that fell apart, while I can't say Johnnywho looks particularly well-handicapped.

On the other hand, the selection is lightly-raced, progressive and hasn't been burdened by a harsh piece of handicapping. Conditions are in his favour and the trip should suit. Plenty going for him, then.

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