Nap of the Day: Mamma Maria, here we go again?

After a month of coming to terms with becoming a first-time dad, I'm back in business at Betfred HQ and straight in the Nap of the Day hot seat.

I'm drawn to one at Salisbury on Friday evening as I bid to make a successful return to action.

MAMMA MARIA opened her account at the sixth time of asking earlier this month, and I can't resist backing William Haggas' three-year-old to go in again at Salisbury on Friday.

The Dubawi filly was awarded an opening mark of 68 after the first three starts of her career last summer, but she struggled to make an instant impact for the switch to handicaps.

In her defence, six furlongs on heavy ground at Haydock in October was far from ideal, and perhaps she didn't handle the all-weather at Wolverhampton the following month. It was also her fifth run in relatively quick succession.

She was subsequently put away for the winter, reappearing 282 days later at Ffos Las, where she bagged that elusive first victory in a mile-long handicap off a revised rating of 65.

The selection edged out Mark Loughnane's Toralou, a winner next time out, in West Wales despite taking a fierce pull under jockey Cieren Fallon in the early stages. Her performance ought to be marked up as a result.

Hopefully that outing has taken the freshness out of her, and we should expect a more polished display on Friday under the excellent Tom Marquand.

Improvement looks likely off just two pounds higher, and further optimism about her chances of recording back-to-back successes is provided by the form of her trainer, who boasts a 24% strike rate over the last two weeks.

Heather Main's Time After Time is the rival who can give her most to think about. I've been on paternity leave for the last month and among the many nappy changes, bottle feeds and contact naps, her victory in the Betfred "Bet Builder" Apprentice Handicap at Haydock exactly 20 days ago was actually one of the few races I managed to watch live.

She defied a 12lb hike in the weights to beat a well-backed opponent who has since franked the form, and the daughter of Time Test has a fair chance of completing the hat-trick off just four pounds higher and with Rossa Ryan in the saddle.

The likes of Dragonflame, Pay Attention and Little She can't be ruled out either, but I expect this one to revolve the aforementioned duo, with Mamma Maria preferred.

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