Nap of the Day: 13/8 Spade to take significant step forward

The Perth Festival concludes on Friday and my Nap of the Day - a lightly-raced youngster for local trainer Lucinda Russell - goes in the first of seven races.

Following a promising start at Carlisle last month, Lucinda Russell's SPADESTEP is taken to open his account under rules at Perth on Friday.

The six-year-old son of Jukebox Jury is a half-brother to Grade 2 winner Tommy's Oscar who fetched £50k at the sales in November last year, following a classy PTP victory for Colin Bowe over in Ireland.

On debut in Cumbria, he finished a narrow runner-up to Nick Alexander's Bel Amigo and had his other eight rivals - including a 121-rated odds-on shot - over 10 lengths adrift.

The winner, rated 112 at the time, has since franked the form in no uncertain terms, winning his subsequent couple of starts at the same venue by a combined 21-and-a-half lengths and rising five pounds in the handicap.

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Failing to win on debut is actually a benefit to the selection here, for he escapes penalties - something that can't be said for his main market rivals.

Junker d'Aillier must concede 12lbs+ to the majority of the field courtesy of his two victories. The 127-rated six-year-old, representing the red-hot Olly Murphy/Sean Bowen duo, is a big danger if rediscovering his best form, but he's underwhelmed the last twice and I question why he's been off the track for 78 days after making his return from a wind op earlier in the season.

Hasten Slowly is the other obvious threat, though she too has a double penalty to defy and hasn't been in the best of form of late. I think her mark of 122 is inflated.

Moon Phases, Russell's second-string, and Byron Hill are given slight chances, but I find the other five runners very difficult to advise.

In all likelihood, it's between the top three in the betting and I'm siding with the promise of Spadestep.

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