Nap of the Day: Bowen and visor can put Grove on the Road to victory

There is a busy Sunday of action in Britain and Ireland, not to mention plenty of international racing for those who fancy it. There are four British and Irish meetings across the day, with the card at the Curragh taking centre stage. In Britain, the Flat card at Redcar is supported by jumps action from Newton Abbot and Stratford.

Our Nap of the Day for Sunday comes from the card at Newton Abbot, where a horse who has long promised to deliver gets the powerful combination of Sean Bowen and a visor for the first time.

Today's Horse Races

In the early days of the jumps season, no rider has been busier than Sean Bowen. Last summer, he built up a healthy lead in the jockeys' championship standings while the temperatures were up. Of course, he failed to repel Harry Cobden in the spring.

Bowen will be hoping that he can make amends this season and he is already 15 winners ahead of Cobden at the time of writing. He has four mounts at Newton Abbot on Sunday, including GROVE ROAD for James Owen.

To say this horse has been frustrating to follow would be an understatement. He won his first three outings under rules but is 0-13 since. There have been occasional hints at his underlying ability, but his main issue has been a tendency to race lazily.

It is not like Grove Road has not always been that way inclined. Even when he was winning races, he did so the hard way and against horses who stay well. His best performance was a win over Mr Vango, now a marathon chaser.

Newton Abbot Odds

On his first start after leaving Archie Watson, Grove Road ran an encouraging race over this course and distance. He then had Cobden up for his next start, but disappointed.

Bowen and Cobden are well matched overall, but when it comes to getting to the bottom of a tricky horse Bowen would have the upper hand.

New trainer James Owen has reached for another new set of headgear, which combined with a particularly persuasive rider, gives Grove Road every chance to get back on track.

It almost goes without saying that Grove Road is chucked in on old form. The jockey bookings Owen has sought out the last two times suggest he thinks he has something to work with. This might well be the day it all comes together.

 Nap of the Day from Betfred Insights.