NAP of the Day: 11/4 chance good value in modest race

We enjoyed a comfortable winner at Taunton on Tuesday afternoon and I’m hopeful of more success at Doncaster 24 hours later.

After studying the cards at Doncaster, Punchestown, Ludlow and Kempton on Wednesday, it’s a novices’ hurdle over an extended two miles at the South Yorkshire venue that I’m honing in on for the NAP of the Day.

Reason being, I can only see three of the 10 runners winning it – and of that trio, two have something to prove.

Selwan, Garitsa Bay, Ravanelli and Scout Master are impossible to advise on what they’ve achieved to date, while Christian Williams’ modest record with novice hurdlers doesn’t make Montys Soldier, despite being well-bred and costly, a particularly attractive proposition.

Skiffle Man has a squeak, but that’s all – and the same can be said for Mister Moodles, who’s penalised for winning a modest affair at Doncaster late last year.

Support Act gets seven pounds from his main market rivals and on his bumper form he’s entitled to put it up to them, but he ran deplorably at Lingfield on his hurdling debut 99 days ago and has been off the track since which is off-putting.

Williethebuilder also underperformed when last seen, beating only one horse home off a mark of 125 in a Musselburgh handicap on New Year’s Day, and doesn’t appear to be progressing having shown plenty of promise at the start of the season.

So, I’m in the camp of Paradias for Alan King at an attractive 11/4.

The five-year-old son of Kodiac was rated as high as 95 on the flat for the Wiltshire-based, dual-purpose handler and has made a pleasing start as a National Hunt type.

He won effortlessly on his hurdling debut at Lingfield in November last year and again showed plenty of ability a month later when third behind subsequent Grade 2 winner Jeriko Du Reponet, who’s now bound for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, and Secret Squirrel, who did the form no harm when second to an odds-on shot for Paul Nicholls at Taunton earlier this month.

A replication of that effort should be enough to see him beat the majority of this field, but I’m expecting a good amount of improvement which gives him every chance of crossing the line in front.

The concern would be conditions, especially were it to rain more and turn heavy, but he travelled nicely through soft ground the last day so I wouldn’t be overly worried until he proves otherwise.