Nap of the Day: Take 9/2 about Tewkesbury on Thursday

It was a welcome return to the winners' enclosure for Nap of the Day followers on Wednesday, courtesy of 10/11 shot Balzac at Kempton. It looked good, it was good. I love it when a plan comes together.

I'm hoping for more of the same on Thursday, as we go to Southwell for a three-year-old handicapper in the care of Simon & Ed Crisford.

I'm drawn to the 18:18 at Southwell on Thursday, which is a 0-75 handicap over a mile featuring mainly lightly-raced three-year-olds.

One of those is TEWKESBURY for Simon & Ed Crisford - a son of Coronation Cup, Eclipse and Juddmonte hero Ghaiyyath and half-brother to 104-rated stablemate Telemark.

He debuted at Southwell back in November, finishing fourth of 10 behind Crockham Heath (rated 80), Interstate (220k guineas purchase for Godolphin) and Magnetude (76).

After that encouraging start, he lined up at Wolverhampton before Christmas and was just touched off by Owen Burrows' Sassicaia. The winner is yet to run again, but the third-placed Double Combo went close in a handicap off 70 on his next start - while the fourth and fifth have won since - so it looks relatively strong form.

Running too keenly was the jockey's explanation for the selection's poor effort on return to the West Midlands just 19 days later. I'd suggest the quick turnaround played its part, too. Put a line through that run.

After a 75-day break, he was pitched straight into handicap company at Chelmsford last month, off an opening mark of 73. Switched off towards the rear of the field, he was delivered almost to perfection by Harry Davies, just failing to get up in the final strides.

The winner, Just A Gambler for Charlie Johnston, has since gone close off three pounds higher, while the third-placed Shafi, who was 17 lengths clear of the only other finisher, goes in the 19:00 at Kempton on Wednesday. It'll be a fair advertisement of the form if he obliges.

Tewkesbury's rise of two pounds is very fair in my book, especially when you consider the amount of improvement that's likely.

On that front, there's admittedly several dangers among the eight that oppose. The market suggests Folk Pageant is the one, and it's easy to see why. His second to the classy Half Sovereign, a subsequent Grade 3 winner, at Ayr in July makes for good reading. I'd be wary of treating that form literally, though, as the aforementioned Karl Burke filly has clearly improved loads throughout the season. Perhaps he's better judged against the third-placed Stoic Poet, who's done very little in the meantime.

Dr Richard Newland & Jamie Insole's On The Inlet has seen plenty of support already, which is important to note, but the case for him is built on guesswork that his mark of 65 is lenient. There's little in his form to suggest that.

I'd be most wary of Haddiah, for Andrew Balding and the champion jockey Oisin Murphy. She blew off the cobwebs over course and distance just over three weeks ago and could be nicely treated going off the evidence of her run at Wolverhampton in October.

But the most compelling case as far as I'm concerned is for Tewkesbury at a highly-attractive price.

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