Nap of the Day: 7/4 shot can make winning return to action

On a quiet Wednesday, we go to Bangor in search of a winning Nap of the Day, putting our faith in a chase debutant for in-form connections.

Charlie Longsdon looks to have found a good opportunity for BIG CITY ROLLER to make a successful return to action from 445 days on the sidelines.

After fetching £35k following an 11-length point-to-point victory in Yorkshire, the seven-year-old won first time out under rules, taking a novice hurdle at Carlisle in October 2023 by two-and-a-half lengths.

It's fair to say, the strength of that form is mixed. The runner-up has achieved little since, but the third-placed Vincenzo earned a mid-120 rating just two starts later.

It was always going to be difficult for the selection to give nearly a stone to Nigel Twiston-Davies' 126-rated The Newest One at Chepstow subsequently, but he at least finished best of the rest - albeit a whopping 19 lengths off the aforementioned winner.

I couldn't find a single report explaining what happened to him between then and now, but his problems must have been serious enough for him to spend well over a year off the track.

On Wednesday, he makes his chasing debut against just three rivals in a 0-120 handicap at Bangor over an extended 2m4f.

Crucially, all three of those rivals are completely out of form - hence my suggestion this looks a good opportunity to get straight back to winning ways.

Second-favourite Ballybegg has finished 8/11 and 7/9 the last twice, beaten a combined 84 lengths, and looks regressive at 10 years old.

Imperial Alex has shown next to nothing in his last three outings, failing to complete at Exeter last month - while nine-year-old Findthetime's recent form reads 4PP.

If ready to rock and roll after his time off, the selection ought to be dealing with this lot.

Although limited evidence suggests he acts on it, heavy ground isn't ideal under the circumstances, but ultimately that's just one concern among many positives.

Speaking of, the form of Longsdon's yard is another one of those positives. He's operating at a 27% strike rate courtesy of three winners from 11 runners in the past fortnight.

All things considered, I'm very hopeful about Big City Roller getting back to winning ways here.

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