NAP of the Day: ‘Exciting’ prospect excellent value at 5/1

Following the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, the Jumps season becomes my main focus - starting on Tuesday as the NAP of the Day comes from Huntingdon's seven-race National Hunt offering.

If he's fit enough following a 141-day break, Christian Williams' FORTIFIED FORTUNE could make a mockery of his opening mark of 109 in this handicap hurdle over 3m1f.

The five-year-old son of Soldier Of Fortune fetched £115k after splitting Willie Mullins' Cantico - ran in the Champion Bumper at this year's Cheltenham Festival - and Ben Pauling's Personal Ambition - a Group 2-winning novice hurdler rated 131 - in a PTP in March last year, before making his rules debut at Ludlow this February.

He was pulled-up in Shropshire, but he left that effort well behind when a fine second to Nicky Henderson's Bective Abbey, another expensive buy (£150k) who disappointed on his first attempt over flights, at Warwick a couple months later.

Connections then sent the gelding to Newton Abbot and he got off the mark, despite concerns about the trip and nature of the track.

Immediately after the race, Williams said: "I thought this might be our only chance to run him and I was a bit worried about running him over two miles, but Chris [Trembath, joint-owner] said to just run him... I'm very surprised he's capable of winning over two miles on a sharp track."

The Welshman also called the selection a "very exciting three-mile chaser in the future" who "might fill" a spot left in a field at his picturesque yard in the Vale of Glamorgan that he reserves for the "special ones".

The case for him winning at Huntingdon on Tuesday isn't purely based on reputation. What he's achieved on the track reads well in the context of this race.

Who knows how good his Warwick conqueror Bective Abbey will prove to be, but my bet is he'll be pretty useful, while Pirates' Tale, who was over a length behind the selection last time out, is well worth his rating of 114.

Considering natural improvement over the summer and more to come back up in trip, a rating of 109 could seriously underestimate this horse.

As I've already said, fitness is the concern. Every one of the selection's 10 rivals have run in the last 72 days, including Clararose who tops the 16:00 Huntingdon Odds at time of publication.

Dan Skelton's six-year-old mare is pretty exposed by now, however, and I would give more respect to Kitesurfer and Ballintubber Boy for Jamie Snowden and Nigel Twiston-Davies respectively.

They're the main dangers as far as I'm concerned, but ultimately Fortified Fortune ought to do the business if ready. He should be favourite in my book and I make him a bet at 5/2 or greater.

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