NAP of the Day: Good things can come to those who wait for the last at Southwell

There is a feast of action on Friday with racing coming from Lingfield, Doncaster, Sandown and Southwell in Britain. There was also due to be an evening meeting in Ireland from Dundalk, but the weather has already claimed that fixture.

The jumps cards at Doncaster and Sandown feature plenty of quality runners and some big fields, but the most competitive action is on the all-weather at Lingfield and Southwell. The majority of the races on both cards have attracted double-figure fields. Only eight have been declared for the final race of the day at Southwell, the 1m6f handicap (20:15), but it’s an open betting heat and includes a recent eye-catcher.

Our Friday NAP comes in that final race at Southwell and it’s worth waiting all day to back this one, who is a course-and-distance winner and shaped like he would improve for going back up in trip at this track last time. Read on for our NAP of the Day.

Swinging London holds no secrets from anyone at the age of seven, but he is in fantastic form and has come home in the first four in all of his last seven starts, including five top-two finishes.

The key to his recent progress appeared to be returning to this sort of trip and he followed seconds over 1m5f at Lingfield and 1m6f at Wolverhampton with his first victory at this track last month. He comfortably saw off nine rivals by three and a half lengths that day over course and distance.

The selection went up 5lb in the weights, but confirmed his well-being with another wide-margin victory at Newcastle just two days later under Jack Doughty, who was claiming 3lb. That forced the assessor into sending Swinging London up another 7lb, but he still ran well here last time.

He made a mess of the start that day and was on the back foot early, but caught the eye doing some good late work to get to within three and a half lengths of the winner Path To Dubai. He pulled four and a half lengths clear of the fifth and was gaining on the leaders near the finish.

That was over two furlongs shorter than this and it left little doubt that Swinging London would be suited by returning to 1m6f at the track. It is also his first run over course and distance since his last victory here off 12lb lower last month and the return to this venue should be in his favour.

Top jockey Billy Loughnane takes the reins on Swinging London for the first time and has ridden for his trainer John Mackie only twice before. That suggests connections mean business and the stable is in fine form, with their last four runners finishing 4424, including a short-head defeat.

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