Nap of the Day: JP to win the Long Walk – but for who, Chris Kamara?

My sincerest apologies for the headline. It's nearly Christmas and I'm feeling festive - oh, and I had a winner on Friday. Almost forgot what those felt like...

This will be my final Nap of the Day before the Boxing Day mania, so let's hope for another visit to the winners' enclosure.

By my reckoning, JP McManus has won the Long Walk five times - and he's got an outstanding chance of making it six at Ascot on Saturday.

The legendary owner pits two of his Stayers' Hurdle hopefuls against each other in the Grade 1 over 3m½f.

At time of writing, it's Gordon Elliott's Honesty Policy who heads the market over Impose Toi for Nicky Henderson and in a way, I'm not surprised.

The former - a five-year-old son of Jukebox Jury - is at the very start of his career and he's got the 'sexier' profile after winning a Grade 1 novice hurdle at the Grand National meeting before a close second to Albert Bartlett hero Jasmin De Vaux at the Punchestown Festival.

That being said, I do think he was slightly flattered by the proximity to the aforementioned Willie Mullins inmate, who wasn't fluent over the final flight in County Kildare, causing Paul Townend to lose his irons for the run-in. I also think the Aintree race was poor for the grade.

This is a big ask. He's travelling over to the UK after a 234-day layoff, taking on race-fit rivals on his first start in open company. The ground is testing enough, too.

I'm firmly in the camp of IMPOSE TOI, who really impressed me in winning the Long Distance Hurdle at Newbury last time out.

The seven-year-old son of It's Gino has shown ability throughout his career - most notably when runner-up to Jimmy Du Seuil in the Coral Cup at this year's Cheltenham Festival - but his form has gone to another level this season.

A facile success off top weight in a Pertemps Qualifier on reappearance at Aintree early last month earned him a shot at the G2 Long Distance Hurdle at Newbury and he proved up to the task, beating the reopposing Strong Leader by half a length.

Olly Murphy's runner is six pounds better off on Saturday, but for me the selection was worth more than the official margin in Berkshire, for he was still on the bridle before making a bit of a mess of the final flight, causing Nico de Boinville to get animated in the saddle. Come the line, he was comfortably on top.

There ought to be more to come from Impose Toi who travels, jumps and stays. He's got everything you want in a three-mile hurdler, and I wouldn't be surprised if he lands the big one in March either.

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