Nap of the Day: Kempton’s the venue for Wednesday’s best bet

For our Nap Of The Day on Wednesday, December 11 I'm heading to Kempton Park's all-weather Polytrack - a bumper nine-race, late afternoon/early evening cracker. 

The action kicks in at 16:10 and the big race for the column is the 17:40.

Today's Horse Races

17:40 Kempton - Jarham @ 11/4

I take little or no persuading to get interested in Clive Cox-trained two-year-olds. That's exactly what we have here in this 7f novice stakes heat, and 11 are scheduled to go to post.

Jarham is a Territories colt out of a Raven's Pass mare (I saw 'Raven's' battle it out with Henrythenavigator for the 2008 Sussex Stakes at Glorious Goodwood - what a race for the ages that was. Just 'nutted' on the Downs, he went on to win a Breeders' Cup three months later - beating that very same rival, comfortably).

Our selection has had two runs to date, and I can't think that the conditions would have been viewed as ideal for a youngster looking to be educated on either occasion. Solid contests at top Grade 1 tracks though - 6.5f and 6f affairs at Newbury and Doncaster, respectively.

The less-than-ideal-part was the ground - heavy, then soft. He was uncompetitive at Newbury, but had progressed when last seen in South Yorkshire 32 days ago, finishing 3.5l behind So Darn Hot, who went on to run second in a Newcastle nursery, beaten a neck.

On board that day was the brilliant Arc-winning pilot Rossa Ryan, who regular readers will know I view as one of the very best in the weighing room already, at the relatively tender age of 24. Crucially, he maintains the partnership this afternoon, and has won on several of Clive's charges in the past.

I'm crediting the colt with ability, and he now has valuable experience too, albeit under conditions where it wouldn't have been easy to show his true merit. A sound, consistent all-weather track now beckons, he stretches out just a touch to 7f which will allow Ryan to get him better organised, and though there's an unraced Roger Varian inmate representing Shadwell who could be anything, the rest don't strike terror into the heart. Not yet, at least.

He's probably going to need every yard of this 7f, as his sire found it barely adequate in a couple of near-miss Group contests at Longchamp at his age, 10 years ago. I'm sure for now though it will do nicely at this level, Kempton has a decent, fair straight, there's a cutaway to mute too many hard-luck stories, and of course he's got Rossa.

Now - go and do your thing, gentlemen.

Nap Of The Day, from Betfred Insights.