Kempton Sunday Preview - 16/10/22

The opening event of the afternoon is the 2m Juvenile Hurdle and we are going with the more proven horse Age Of Sail for Gary Moore.

Formerly on the flat with Joseph Parr and almost like going through the motions, he has now moved over to Moore and on his sole start over hurdles he was a bright third at Chepstow behind a nice type in Tuddenham Green for Alan King.

Sets the form standard and should improve again for that experience.

Next up is the Novices' Handicap Chase over 2m 2f and we are taking a punter on Hasty Parisian who is making his first start over fences on Sunday and looks the type that will improve for the bigger obstacles.

A very consistent horse throughout the start of 2022 with four placed efforts from seven events over hurdles including a win in a juvenile hurdle at Sandown on soft ground.

Making his chase debut in handicap off 115 he looks a horse that will be much better than that mark and having some nice form when finishing fourth in his last event over hurdles behind the likes of Knappers Hill and Boombawn.

He could be underestimated in this market.

Another nice event on the Kempton card is the 2m Listed Hurdle that sees just the three runners and we are taking on the favourite Teddy Blue with Boombawn for Dan Skelton.

Highly consistent last term making his seasonal debut in March when second in Novice Hurdle at Doncaster, but off the back of that at Southwell he went on to be a 13 length winner beating a nice type for Olly Murphy.

The gelding made it back to back wins at Ffos Las next time out in a better race giving away weight and he then rounded off his season at Sandown in the Novices' Championship Final Handicap Hurdle when only beaten by the progressive Knappers Hill, who has already franked the form this term.

Big player in this tactical event.

One of the trickiest events on the card at Kempton on Sunday is the Class 3 Handicap Chase over 2m2f and we have landed on Balko Saint to take advantage of his falling handicap mark.

A course and distance winner on this card last year in the Listed Hurdle over 2m, he then fell off the boil not beating many horses home in his four events.

Sent chasing in May at Ludlow in a novice chase he finished last of three but learnt a lot for the experience and was put away for this term.

Down 2lbs from that run to a mark of 127, 5lb below his last winning mark over hurdles, he could be well in if improving on his second start over fences.

Interesting contender.

The feature race of the day is the Listed Hurdle over two miles and we can't get away from last year's winner of the race Sceau Royal although giving weight to the rest of the field.

Sceau Royal has been a star over both fences and hurdles during his career for Alan King and owners Simon Munir and Isaac Souede.

Over hurdles his greatest exploits to date have been when landing three Grade Two Elite Hurdles and a Welsh Champion Hurdle at Ffos Las.

Over fences he has managed a similar standard of win, taking out races like the Grade One Henry VIII Novices' Chase, Grade Two Lightning Novices' Chase, Shloer Chase and the Game Spirit Chase.

A superb season last term he started his campaign off in this race beating last years winner Silver Streak and there doesn’t look to be a horse of the same calibre in this field.

One to beat.

The final selection of the afternoon comes in the 2m5f Novices' Hurdle and we can't look past Jemima P for trainer Emma Lavelle with the mare looking for a four-timer.

In 2021 she went on to win four of her five events, landing a Handicap Chase at Exeter before running below par at Exeter, but off the back of that landed three handicap chases at Worcester and Ffos Las, going up to a mark of 132.

Sent back over hurdles for her first run if this term having ran three times over flights and not got off the mark of yet, it looks a perfect starting point for her season and getting weight off the field makes her extremely tough to beat if converting her fences form to hurdles.