Nap of the Day: First Encounter and Morris to strike again

There are four meetings across the UK and Ireland on Monday with jumps action from Ludlow joining the Flat meetings at Navan, Kempton and Wolverhampton (evening).

Punters must exercise some patience for Monday's NAP selection, which runs in the nightcap contest at Wolverhampton and bids to continue some recent excellent form for rider Luke Morris.

20:30 Wolverhampton

20:30 Wolverhampton – First Encounter @ 7/2

Arc-winning rider Luke Morris notched a career landmark when partnering FIRST ENCOUNTER to his second win of 2026 at Lingfield last month as it marked a first ever five-timer for The Sniper.

Morris had nailed a four-timer at the same venue in December but went one better, much to his delight, as he told Sky Sports Racing: "I've had a few four timers but never five and it's nice to get it done even if it has taken me 20 years."

On his willing partner for that fifth success, he added: "First Encounter was on fumes at the finish and I was glad the post came."

Despite that assertion from the winning pilot, the five-year-old perhaps had something in hand in that Classified event.

He was out alertly from the starting gates before getting taken on up front by Pyrrhic Dancer and Morris' partner was plenty keen and used up some energy in the first half of the race.

He took up the running off the final bend and did enough to hold on from the fast-finishing Unknown Journey in second.

After positive figures of 121 in Classified company in his last three starts, First Encounter now reverts to this Class 6 handicap.

He does so from a mark of 51 and has rarely been in better fettle. The likes of Captain Pickles, Take The A Train and Arlecchino's Rex are all in similarly promising form and will pose some questions of Morris' mount now but he is a recent course-and-distance winner and that late-January win here has worked out quite well.

The John Gallagher-trained inmate could be set to make it 2-2 at Wolverhampton.

Naps table with Betfred Insights.