Nap of the Day: 2/1 shot to make a Buck on Wednesday

It's a new week as far as I'm concerned and we're going to Newbury on Wednesday hoping to get back to winning ways with this Nap of the Day column.

Warren Greatrex is going great guns at the moment, operating at a 28 per cent strike rate courtesy of five winners from 18 runners in the past fortnight, which bodes well for BUCKNA in this novices' hurdle over 2m4½f.

The four-year-old son of Order Of St George fetched a whopping £350k at the Cheltenham Festival sales earlier this year having won a PTP in good style, and he made a promising start under rules when second to the useful-looking Admiral Stewart in a maiden hurdle at Ffos Las last month.

His conqueror, trained by Jamie Snowden, is held in fairly high regard and he went to South Wales race-fit after a spin in a bumper a month prior, so it was a respectable-enough performance from the selection, especially given he was keen early on in the contest. He should come on loads for the run, and for the step up in trip.

A couple of his seven rivals are appealing on paper. Nicky Henderson is feared greatly round Newbury and there's something to like about his six-year-old Flemensfirth gelding, Nativehill, in Ronnie Bartlett's famous silks.

However, the £260k purchase missed all of last season through injury and it's now been 620 days since his last race. There was a lot of hype about him prior to his setback last term, but there's been little chatter about him this time round.

He could win, of course he could, but at the prices I'm happy to let him do so without my backing.

Likewise, it wouldn't be a great surprise if Paul Nicholls' Captain Bellamy were to do the business, but the fact is he was beaten 26 lengths by Skyjack Hijack, who was carrying a 10lb penalty, at Exeter last time out.

Nicholls' runners are improving leaps and bounds, so expect him to leave that behind, but this horse has disappointed on three of his four runs under rules and at this moment he isn't at all trustworthy.

Those two aside, it's a modest contest. De Kingpin's form is nothing more than okay, while Henderson's second-string Marengo Bay has to improve significantly from a poor effort just 23 days ago.

Isle Of Gold makes little appeal returning from 433 days on the sidelines following three average performances - and rank outsiders Diagon Alley and Roxhill are exactly that for a reason.

All in all, I think Buckna has every chance of getting off the mark at the second attempt and is well worth a bet at current prices.

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