NAP of the Day: Moscow the Power play at Chepstow

Winner winner, chicken dinner. Despite making a total mess of the start, Empirical, advised to NAP of the Day followers at 6/5, absolutely bolted up at Nottingham on Thursday afternoon. Stones in hand, and all that.

I don't expect such a dominant performance from Friday's fancy, but hopefully it'll be another visit to the winners' enclosure.

The hat-trick seeking Maid In Devon is likely to be a warm order for the finale at Chepstow on Friday, but I've got some reservations.

Rod Millman's three-year-old filly is up eight pounds for winning a Class 6 in the mud at Salisbury last time out under the champion jockey Oisin Murphy.

The latter is replaced by apprentice Jack Doughty for this Class 4 on good to firm in Wales, so as far as I'm concerned the half-sister to Listed-winning stablemate Adaay In Devon will need to be a good bit ahead of the handicapper.

Especially if MOSCOW POWER returns to form, which I'm hoping he will.

Horse Racing Odds

Michael Appleby's three-year-old was subject to plenty of support ahead of his latest start at York a month-and-a-bit ago, but he ran no sort of race, finishing almost 10 lengths off the pace in 14/20.

He was slow out of the gates and took a keen hold for jockey-on-the-day George Wood, before failing to see out the seven furlongs. That was always the concern for me.

Dropping back to six on Friday is a positive move, with Jason Watson, who guided the Sergei Prokofiev gelding to his only victory at Chelmsford back in March, taking back the reins.

He beat one of Richard Hannon's 85-rated The Untamed at Chelmsford, winner of his subsequent two starts. By over two lengths as well.

On handicap debut off 78, in a £13k event at Ascot, the selection was an eye-catching third. The winner, Secret Santa for the aforementioned Hannon, is yet to appear again but the runner-up, Ed Walker's Hallo Spaceboy, followed up off five pounds higher next time out.

Both bits of form tell me there's wiggle room in his mark, which has dropped two pounds for that no-show on the Knavesmire.

I think he's superb value to bounce back at Chepstow, which could certainly be enough to result in the second win of his career.

Alongside the aforementioned Maid In Devon, the likes of Sanaam, who's also threatening a return to form, and Blue Orbit and Evie Ross are the dangers, but Moscow Power is the best bet in my book.

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