Nap of the Day: Promising stayer to prosper at Kempton on Wednesday

Compelling midweek all-weather action at Kempton, lots of our sport's top names are present, and its where I'm heading for Wednesday's Nap Of The Day. The seven-race card kicks in at 17:00, and the contest I'm especially interested in is the 19:30.

It looks a competitive puzzle to solve, and comprises six runners who will be partnered by half-a-dozen of the finest jocks anywhere on the planet - from the top Rossa Ryan, Danny Muscott, Billy Loughnane, Hector Crouch, Oisin Murphy and Luke Morris. There's a couple of Arc de Triomphe victories there before we even begin to delve deeper. If you're playing, this or your own fancy - good luck, and as always have fun.

Today's Horse Races

19:30 Kempton - Wonder Legend @ 2/1

This is a Stayers' series qualifier over the extreme trip of 2m. Fairly extreme on the flat at least - and my selection has yet to try it!

Wonder Legend is a five-year-old Sea The Stars gelding trained by James Ferguson at Newmarket. He's fairly lightly-raced - it's just start number 11 this evening. He began racing life at around a mile and moved to tackle slightly further, but it's fair to say it's become increasingly obvious that stamina tests are far more his forte.

After a couple of promising, placed efforts upped to middle-distances he went 1m 6f when last seen at Southwell in mid-November, and he saw it out very well for a tidy success in a Class 3 handicap.

Southwell is a track where you really do need to get home up that tough straight, and I've no doubts at all about the ability to get the extra 2f here at Kempton, where the emphasis will be on speed as well as the additional yardage.

He's earned topweight of 9st 11lb today, but did carry 10st 2lb on his last two excellent appearances so he can handle it. He's giving nearly a stone to a Balding/Murphy conveyance in the old Mill Reef colours, and I fear him; but I think Wonder Legend is an improving type that's further down the road at this stage, though his opponent is proven at the trip.

Danny Muscott rides the selection, as he has on several previous occasions. He rode a winner for Ferguson about 10 days ago and for me is absolutely top-drawer. It's a Class 2 he now contests, worth £13k to the winner, but has tackled the grade a couple of times on the turf.

They were respectable efforts but he's a better horse now for me, and did achieve a career-best Racing Post rating last time. Fingers crossed that James has him in fine order after this little break, and that the undoubted upward curve can be continued in Sunbury-on-Thames on Wednesday evening.

Nap Of The Day from Betfred Insights.