Exeter hosts one of Britain's best Sunday cards this week and Keith Melrose from the Racing Post provides his best bets on the card.
2.00 Exeter
Lac De Constance @ SP
1pt win
3.00 Exeter
Kapga De Lily @ SP
1pt win
3.30 Exeter
Musical Slave @ SP
1pt win
Lac won't look back
When last seen, Lac De Constance was favourite for the Grade 2 Wayward Lad Novices' Chase and he was still going well when unseating his rider five out.
He should make no mistake in lesser company over Exeter's fences, which do not pose so much of a test as those at Kempton.
Before he ran at Kempton, Lac De Constance had made an impressive winning debut over fences at the same track and looked as though he would relish staying over trips beyond 2m.
That he dropped back was a testament to his talent and that day he was cutting it with horses that would be a cut above his rivals today.
Boothill won the race, with classy and likeable sorts Aucunrisque and Glory And Fortune chasing him home. Lac De Constance is still in the Turners at the Cheltenham Festival.
That might be a bit of a stretch, but he is a viable sort for something like the Aintree equivalent and he can book his place at the spring festivals with a win here.
Lily to get her black type
Kapga De Lily ran in this race last year and finished 50 lengths behind winner Snow Leopardess.
However, this race was not the main aim last year. She had won two handicaps earlier in the campaign and as a result was not as fresh for this race.
The runway has been cleared for her to gain black type (which is given to all horses who finish in the first three in a Listed race or above) this time around.
She missed the race at Hereford in December which she had won in each of the two previous seasons and returned from a break in a strong race at Wincanton.
That day she was sent off at a big price and travelled into the race before tying up a little under pressure.
The inference is that trainer Venetia Williams left something to work on in order to have her spot on for another day. This race, which is worth nearly £20,000 to the winner, might well be it.
Musical won't miss a beat
The road back to the Veterans' Final at Sandown next January starts here and fittingly it involves two horses who placed in this year's Final.
Ramses De Teillee was second, Run To Milan third. It could well be that those two horses are here to secure their ticket to the 2024 Final.
Previous quotes from his trainer suggest that Mister Malarky is similarly on a long-term path. The other 10-year-olds in the race, Senior Citizen and Musical Slave, are more interesting and the latter in particular catches my eye.
This former poor jumper turned a corner from around this point last year, winning at Sandown and Haydock before finishing second in the bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown.
He has run twice this season, the second time in the Welsh National when he was too far back to challenge from an early stage, and this represents quite a notable drop in class.
His previous Sandown form suggests stiff, right-handed tracks pose no problem and Exeter's fences should be easy enough for him to clear.
Musical Slave is a class-dropper and can pick this race up en route to next season's Final.
