Nap of the Day: Khrisma attracts at Newbury on Thursday

It's been a joyless week so far for Nap of the Day followers, but confidence is high about Thursday's fancy.

It comes from Newbury in the form a classy mare for a top trainer, owner and jockey combination. There's lots to like.

KHRISMA is high on my list of horses to follow this season (William Hill Hurdle anyone?) and I expect her to take a good bit of beating in this mares' novices' hurdle over 2m½f at Newbury on Thursday.

Nicky Henderson's five-year-old daughter of Pastorius was a graded winner in bumpers over in France before JP McManus opened his chequebook and moved her to Seven Barrows at the start of last season.

She wasn't seen on a racecourse here in Britain until mid-January this year, when turning up at Windsor's Winter Million Festival to make her hurdling debut.

Despite taking a keen hold under Nico de Boinville, she gave a good account of herself, going down by just two-and-half lengths to Paul Nicholls' subsequent Listed winner Jubilee Alpha (rated 128). The runner-up Bluey, who achieved a mark of 124 over the smaller obstacles, is no mug either - nor is Siog Geal, winner of a Grade 2 handicap at Newbury two starts later off a mark of 116.

Presumably in a bid to protect her novice status, as well as allowing her time to mature both physically and mentally, Khrisma was kept off the track for another 103 days, before taking on the boys in a novice event at the Punchestown Festival in May.

There was clearly plenty of confidence behind her in Ireland as she was sent off 5/2f - and she almost rewarded that support, finishing within a length of Gordon Elliott's Casheldale Lad and over 16 clear of her other 10 rivals. She probably would have won but for a significant mistake at the second-last, too.

Casheldale Lad has since franked the form in no uncertain terms, finishing third in the Galway Hurdle off a mark of 138 before back-to-back Listed triumphs at Listowel and Down Royal.

That sets a very high standard for Thursday's opposition, made up of mainly hurdling debutants, to reach.

Jackie Hobbs is the one who can give us the most to think about, but if she's anywhere near fit Khrisma should be very hard to stop.

As for her price, she wasn't all that much bigger against the boys at the Punchestown Festival. Against her own sex at Newbury in November? I expected her to be around even money.

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