Nap of the Day: Mikhailovich can land knockout blow at Uttoxeter

Another winner on Thursday - Run For Mahler, advised at 7/4 – makes it three-from-three for my Nap of the Day selections this week.

In a bid to extend that run on Friday, we go to Uttoxeter for one looking to make up for lost time.

Clearly, MIKHAILOVICH was once thought a lot of by trainer Kim Bailey and his team at Thorndale Farm.

The son of Sholokhov, who fetched €23k at the sales back in November 2017, was sent off 9/4 on debut in a bumper at Chepstow three-and-a-half years ago.

That was despite the presence of future Cheltenham Festival runner-up Ginny's Destiny, trained by Tom Lacey at the time, who had the benefit of a run behind Harry Fry's classy Altobelli at Exeter just over a month prior.

He finished third of seven, just four-and-a-half lengths adrift of the winner who would go on to reach a career-high mark of 155, in South East Wales, going some way to justifying his reputation.

The problems started soon after, though. He was sidelined for the next 232 days, during which he underwent wind surgery, and was pulled-up on his return in a maiden hurdle at Uttoxeter.

There was only a slither of encouragement from his subsequent three starts, and he was put away for another 196 days, reappearing in a handicap hurdle at Huntingdon in October 2023 off a lowly mark of 100.

He bolted up, by nine-and-a-half lengths, threatening to get his career back on track, but again followed it up with a few lacklustre efforts.

At the end of the 2023/24 season, Bailey decided to give Mikhailovich a spin over fences and it proved a wise decision, as he ran out a seven-length winner of a Class 4 contest at Market Rasen off a mark of 106.

Evidently difficult to train, he missed the following campaign but showed plenty of encouragement on return at Worcester a couple of months ago, back over the smaller obstacles.

He finished second of 12 in the West Midlands, travelling strongly before fading late in the piece. Entirely understandable, given the time spent off the track.

That ought to have put him spot on as he returns to fencing in a modest-looking contest.

Of his six rivals - expect Another Lord, pulled-up at Ffos Las on Thursday, to be a non-runner - it's Ben Pauling's Golden Ambition I fear most.

The six-year-old made a good start to life over fences until a no-show at Uttoxeter that preceded an 82-day break. He needs to bounce back.

Fern Hill, rated 140 at his peak, has dropped to a very dangerous mark (104) if able to rediscover some of his old ability, but the 10-year-old appears to be on a sharp decline and will probably need the run.

Better Off Alone is semi-interesting if first-time cheekpieces brings about improvement, but it’s really just a singular piece of form that makes him worthy of consideration in this company.

Impatient is easy to leave alone for the O’Neills, who have made a slow start to the season, as is Jet Smart and the 11-year-old First Lord Du Cuet.

Click the links for all the latest Horse Racing Odds and Fast Racing Results

Tune into Betfred Insights regularly to find our experts' Nap of the Day