Nap of the Day: All-weather return should benefit Ballsgrove Boy

Five UK and Irish race meetings are being served up on Tuesday so there are quite a few options to look at when it comes to my Nap of the Day. On this occasion I head down to Kempton where a horse from Martin Dunne's stable is bidding to bounce back at the first attempt.

Read on to find out my Nap of the Day for Tuesday, August 19.

17:05 Kempton Odds

BALLSGROVE BOY's unconvincing record on turf continued on his last outing at Newmarket (July) on August 1, despite being over his very familiar 6f distance. He finished 12th of 12 after weakening drastically over the final furlong.

The three-year-old son of Ardad is a more consistent runner on AW, so Dunne will be expecting an instant response at Kempton for this Class 5 handicap. He posted a C&D victory in May, defeating Blewburton by a half-length, so connections will be hoping for another promising performance.

This was followed by a third and second on AW at Lingfield and Kempton respectively, before landing another success at Wolverhampton on July 22. The all-weather circuit is very much this gelding's arena and this has stemmed from the work Dunne has put in since acquiring Ballsgrove Boy from Matt Crawley's yard in February.

Fast Racing Results

The only run Ballsgrove Boy had for Crawley's stable was on the AW at Southwell (6f) and he did post a respectable second back in December, losing out to Early Release by just a neck.

The gelding has placed in all five of his AW starts under his current yard and this has seen him land his first two successes in this sphere. His turf career may not take off but in this environment he is a major player and has to be respected upon his return to this track.

Newmarket was a setback but he still has strong form coming into Tuesday, especially as his best comes on AW. There are 11 rivals to contend with on this occasion and he looks the one to beat.

One concern may lie in the saddle as a new jockey has been booked for this ride in Ashley Lewis. Ballsgrove Boy's past five rides have been steered by Billy Loughnane (two) and Jack Doughty (three). This new partnership could have a disruption but I don't think it will have much of an effect, if any.

We all know what this horse is capable of on this circuit, so I think he's worth backing to claim his third AW victory in the space of three months.

Nap Of The Day from Betfred Insights.