Top tipster Sam Turner guides you through the live ITV Races at Kempton.
13.20 Kempton
Recent results suggest TOMMY SILVER (Best price 3-1) bumped into a useful prospect when beaten by Testify at Bangor and he is taken to continue his trainer’s festive success. The selection’s conqueror has won again since at Haydock over the Christmas period to enhance the form and a return to a slightly better surface should suit the selection which had previously bolted up at Leicester, jumping soundly in the main. Paul Nicholls is a master of placing horses and he looks to have found a decent opportunity for both Tommy Silver and Cyrname with marginal preference for the former.
13.55 Kempton
The 11mm of overnight rain won’t have enhanced the chances of MIDNIGHT TOUR (Best price 10-3) given she would ideally prefer a sounder surface. However, Alan King’s mare coped with soft ground well when looking in need of her comeback at Bangor and, as she matures, deeper conditions may not hold the terror it once did. King’s stable must have been disappointed with the unfortunate departure of Mia’s Storm in yesterday’s Grade One chase, but their representative had Rons Dream and Treacle Tart in arrears when chasing home La Bague Au Roi over course and distance earlier this month and looks a decent bet to confirm placings.
14.30 Kempton
Special Tiara defends an unbeaten record at the Sunbury venue but the overnight rain might have compromised hopes of the admirable 10-year-old making it three wins in four years in this event. The softening ground shouldn’t inconvenience POLITOLOGUE (Best price 8-15) and the Tingle Creek Chase winner has an obvious opportunity to retain his unbeaten run this season. Dropping the gelding to two miles has been the key to the selection’s improvement and he jumped beautifully at Sandown which enabled him to keep enough in reserve to hold off the classy Fox Norton.
He is no price today however and there could be some mileage in supporting VANITEUX (Best price 10-1) in the markets without the red-hot favourite. There is no doubting Vaniteux has been kept away from handicaps this season in order to encourage the assessor to drop him a few pounds before the spring festivals role round. He may not be asked to challenge the likes of Politologue until late in the peace given the way he has been ridden this term and, with the ground a slight concern for Special Tiara and Forest Bihan arriving off the back of a poor run the last time he travelled south, he is worth a fun bet to pick up some pieces late on. A recent outing behind Top Notch at Taunton over a trip in excess of his best definitely suggested the ability remains.
15.05 Kempton
PILGRIMS BAY (Best price 5-1) isn’t one to trust implicitly but, as he showed at this track in February, he is useful in this grade when presented with decent ground and a gallop to aim at and he could be the answer to a tricky event. A highly creditable fifth in the Ladbrokes Trophy, the seven-year-old invariably travels powerfully in his races and he gets on particularly well with today’s rider who will look to deliver him late in proceedings.
