Kempton's card on Tuesday sees some big names in action and Keith Melrose from the Racing Post provides his three best bets on the card.
Lac De Constance @ 2/1
1.20 Kempton
1pt win
Edwardstone @ 1/2
2.30 Kempton
1pt win
Flegmatik @ 12/1
3.09 Kempton
1pt each-way
Skeltons for the Wayward Lad
While Boothill sets the standard on form in the Wayward Lad Novices' Chase (1.20), he does so partly because he has had a couple of big outings already.
He won a valuable handicap at Ascot in November and emerged well beaten but far from discredited against Jonbon in Grade 1 company last time.
Contrast with Lac De Constance, whose sole run over fences was in a Class 3 novice here last month.
He could scarcely have been more impressive that day, he gave his useful rivals hardly a sniff, and he jumped like a stag, too.
This horse was unbeaten over hurdles last season but is already a much better chaser and has scope to improve, more than the current market leader who is only 3lb ahead on BHA ratings and 4lb on Racing Post Ratings.
Can't stop Stone from rolling
It is hard to pin down exactly the extent to which Edwardstone improved when winning the Tingle Creek earlier this month, as the race fell apart a little behind him, but there can be no doubt that he recorded a clear career best and that on that strength he sets the standard in the Desert Orchid Chase (2.30).
The clear second favourite is Nube Negra, who won this race so convincingly two years ago that the horse he beat, the great Altior, never ran again.
However, that was on good ground when Nube Negra was fresh and history shows that is when he is at his best. Here, the ground is likely to be on the soft side at least, while he ran just 44 days ago at Cheltenham.
It is fancied that Funambule Sivola will be likeliest to chase home Edwardstone. He was second in the Champion Chase at Cheltenham in March, but he only got there because a few others fluffed their lines and he is high-class rather than top-class. Even if he is fitter for his run in the Tingle Creek, he will seriously struggle to reverse form with Edwardstone.
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Another for Skeltons in hot handicap
The 3.09 is a staying handicap chase run within ten minutes of the Welsh Grand National finishing, but it does not suffer for its proximity.
That is mostly because the Welsh National is for dour stayers, while plenty in this race would be comfortable dropping back in trip.
Flegmatik would fall into that category. He won over 2m4f here in February and was highly convincing.
He had also won over 3m at the same course 25 days before, and been third in last year's running of this race. He ran a very good race to finish third over 2m5f at Ascot on his reappearance and looked then as though a return to 3m at Kempton would be his ideal next aim.
This seven-year-old is progressive in general and demands to be taken seriously. Given that bet365 are offering an additional place over standard each-way terms, it is advised to go each-way.
