NAP of the Day: High-speed slalom around Chepstow on the cards?

Thursday's NAP comes from Chepstow. A one mile, Class 5 handicap for four-year-olds and upwards. Horse in form, jockey flying, trainer with a winner from his last four entries (and the other three not beaten by any more than 2.25l). 

Hopeful? You bet ...

Horse Racing Odds

Chepstow 15:50

15:50 Chepstow - Stenmark @ 11/8

Yesterday's NAP selection, advised at 11/2, was heavily backed in to 3/1 but failed to justify that support, unfortunately. There will be another day for her.

Our pick for Thursday is a four-year-old Kingman gelding out of a Sea The Stars mare. Could hardly be better bred for this Class 5 handicap assignment, over a mile of Chepstow's rolling acres.

This fella has had three different trainers, all intriguingly based at Newmarket. First James Ferguson (until August 2025). Then Denis Quinn (he passed her on in May of this year). So to the current handler - Gihan Arnolda, a former assistant to Roger Varian and the aforementioned Quinn, among others.

STENMARK has won just one race from 15 starts, but has been very consistent in the main and has been placed on a further five occasions. Dropped into this Class 5 company last time just seven days ago at Epsom he failed by a neck to get up in a field of six, and it was 2l back to the third.

Rhys Clutterbuck was on board on that occasion and no disrespect whatsoever but the gelding gets one of the nation's premier jocks today in the shape of Rossa Ryan, closing in on 100 winners for the season and locked in battle for the jockeys' title.

Stenmark ran off a mark of 75 at Epsom, unchanged this afternoon, and steps up a furlong too. The way he finished that should be ideal, frankly. He tends to be held up and can mow 'em down in the latter stages.

I'm chuffed personally to see odds-against available as I write, and hope that's still the case at 15:50 on Thursday afternoon in Wales. I'm guessing he's named after the legendary Swedish ski champion Ingemar Stenmark, and here's hoping another gold medal will be forthcoming in Monmouthshire.

NAPS table with Betfred Insights.