Nap of the Day: Park the doubts – Woodland set for day in the sun

The drift ultimately told in regards to Wednesday's selection, who ran no race on debut at Catterick. It was a risk, and it didn't pay off. On we go.

It's back to the tried and tested formula of backing Olly Murphy and Sean Bowen horses on Thursday.

WOODLAND PARK has been extremely frustrating to follow this season. He's cost me a couple of quid, and perhaps you too.

Olly Murphy's seven-year-old was prominent in many a list - mine included - of handicappers to follow for the current campaign after being awarded an opening mark of 117 following a 13-length romp at Leicester in November 2024 on just his second start over timber.

It was therefore no surprise to see him sent off 11/8f for his handicap debut at Carlisle 12 months later, but he could only manage third of 13, beaten just under two lengths.

A few weeks later connections sent him to Leicester, off a pound higher, and he again failed to reward punters who supported him into 11/10f.

This was a relatively strong race, though, bumping into Henry Daly's Fresh Speculation and John Barbour for Fergal O'Brien. The former won his subsequent start off seven pounds higher and almost defied a further six-pound rise last week - while the latter is rated 128 today after a fine second in a Class 2 handicap worth £26k to the winner at Ascot earlier this month.

John Barbour confirmed form, just about, with the selection at Uttoxeter in between. We were starting to rally at the finish, though, and I suspect he'd have overturned the form over a longer trip.

He gets that on Thursday, plus soft ground at a galloping track, which per a stable tour with Racing TV is the exact conditions he's always wanted. Murphy said: "Slow ground on a big, galloping track will suit him."

A rise of two pounds is fair enough given the strength of that Uttoxeter form, especially as I'm hopeful of improvement for the step up in distance on deep ground.

It's a competitive race including the likes of Blue Carpet for Dan Skelton and Stuart Edmunds' Arcadian Star, but winnable at the same time. Even more so with a certain Sean Bowen in the plate. Some form he's in...

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