Nap of the Day: Supreme faith in Kilnew at Taunton

I'm gutted that I Ain't Your Mate was a non-runner at the 11th hour at Ffos Las on Tuesday. The six-year-old, advised at 5/2 to Nap of the Day followers, was backed into odds-on and confidence was high, but the going was in the end too fast for connections. A huge shame. Until next time...

Hopefully I won't be sulking for long, for I'm sweet on one for Paul Nicholls at his local track on Wednesday.

Bread and butter. Fish and chips. Paul Nicholls and Taunton.

The 14-time champion trainer has enjoyed 314 winners from 1159 runners - that's a 27% strike rate - at the Somerset venue over the course of his career. This season? It's 13 from 41 (32%). Everything he sends there warrants careful consideration.

He's got a couple of runners at Taunton on Wednesday, including KILNEW SUPREME in the opening novices' hurdle over 2m3f.

The five-year-old son of Harzand was second to Nicky Henderson's Crystal Island, an exciting prospect who's 2-2 over rules after doing the business at Ffos Las on Tuesday, in a point-to-point at Rathcannon 12 months ago, leading to a £110k sale exactly 11 days later.

The gelding was sent into training at Ditcheat and in November he lined up for a two-mile bumper at Wincanton, another one of Nicholls' hunting grounds, to kickstart his career under rules.

He ran a race full of encouragement, going down by a length-and-a-quarter, despite greenness, to one of Joe Tizzard's who then finished fourth of 15 in a Listed affair at Ascot just before Christmas.

The selection had wind surgery not long after, suggesting he wasn't quite 100%, and he wasn't seen again until returning to Wincanton this March - a total of 135 days later.

Again, it was second best for Kilnew Supreme. Harry Fry's 111-rated Stanners Glen, race-fit and more experienced, got the better of him on this occasion, kept honest by Nicholls' runner till the very end.

I'm expecting a lot of improvement. For the run, and for the step up in trip. It's only his third attempt under rules, too.

With that in mind, he can see off Parchment and Crest Of Stars, who are the only realistic rivals from this field of seven.

The latter sets a standard, but not a high one. Not at all. He's rated 112 but is already looking exposed and vulnerable. His seven-pound penalty for winning at the track at the start of the year is negated by jockey Chad Bament's claim, but that mightn't be enough in this company.

I'm wary of Parchment for David Pipe. The four-year-old son of Triple Threat beat the 129-rated Pourquoi Pas Papa, a stablemate of Kilnew Supreme, on his sole run in France last June, but was disappointing on British debut at Kempton in November.

He was sent off 8/13f, though, and there'd been plenty of chatter about him pre-season, so he can't be discounted after wind surgery and a 149-day break.

That being said, I prefer the guarantee of Kilnew Supreme who's fit, slightly more experienced and represents a trainer who is extremely familiar with the winners' enclosure at Taunton. He's the Nap for me.

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