Neil Morrice shares all of his best bets and tips for Monday's racing coming your way from Plumpton, Exeter, Leicester and Kempton Park on 20 November 2023
PLUMPTON
Race 2 No3 HIAOU (Nap)
Trainer: Chris Gordon – Jockey: Rex Dingle
HIAOU makes plenty of appeal on his debut for a trainer with a high strike-rate at his local track. The six-year-old was a winner over jumps and placed on the Flat for Gordon Elliott but endured training issues. He will be race fit for this humble seller, and first outing in eight months.
Race 3 No4 BRAVE KINGDOM
Trainer: Paul Nicholls – Jockey: Bryony Frost
General Medrano sets the standard following a couple of recent wins but if BRAVE KINGDOM is as good as he was he can take the spoils. The selection top and tailed a first season over hurdles with triumphs at Chepstow and Taunton and only relinquished his unbeaten record when third in a Grade 2 at Sandown. He’s a good jumper and just needs to show he’s fit after a near two year absence on this switch to fences.
Race 6 No6 AVILES
Trainer: Gary Moore – Jockey: Caolin Quinn
AVILES was due to run at Fontwell, but if connections decide to re-route him here the gelding can prevail from his place at the base of the weights.
EXETER
Race 1 No1 BOURBALI
Trainer: Joe Tizzard – Jockey: Brendan Powell
Might I is carded to start long odds-on for this match but BOURBALI also had good form over hurdles and can cause him problems. The selection’s second to Crebilly in a Class 2 handicap at Sandown reads very well, and while he didn’t manage to win last season he claimed a cheque in all but one of his seven outings.
Race 3 No5 MAN OF MY DREAMS (Each Way)
Trainer: Ben Pauling – Jockey: Beau Morgan
MAN OF MY DREAMS cut a decent standard when second to Land Genie in a Huntingdon bumper and has been well tutored for this switch to jumps. His stable is just starting to run into form, and he can earn in what is a competitive affair, with Gidleigh Park, Salt Rock and Range others that very much take the eye.
Race 5 No1 ALFIE’S PRINCESS (Nap)
Trainer: Sam Thomas – Jockey: Sam Twiston-Davies
ALFIE’S PRINCESS helped ensure Thomas got off to a cracking start this season when an impressive scorer at Chepstow. The Shirocco mare will revel in the testing conditions here, and can back up that first hurdling run on the way to better things.
Race 7 No6 TOP OF THE BILL (Each Way)
Trainer: Nigel Twiston-Davies – Jockey: Jordan Nailor
A good servant to his connections over hurdles last season, TOP OF THE BILL faced a baptism of fire when switching to fences in a handicap at Chepstow. Though never a threat, he stayed on in the straight and will be fitter with the benefit of the outing under his belt. A move not a novices’ handicap should also suit him.
LEICESTER
Race 7 No4 OAKLEY DANCER (Nap)
Trainer: Olly Murphy – Jockey: Sean Bowen
OAKLEY DANCER looks to have the cards in her favour in this two-mile handicap hurdle. She’s smoothly converted on her last two outings in easy conditions and looked very good value for her winning margin over King Of The Lake on seasonal return at Newton Abbot, making her very much the one to beat.
KEMPTON PARK
Race 2 No1 NEW CHELSEA (Nap)
Trainer: Ralph Beckett – Jockey: Hector Crouch
NEW CHELSEA has twice attracted serious support only to disappoint, but now trying Polytrack could be worth giving another chance to. The New Bay gelding cuts back a tad on the distance scale, has worked well on a similar surface at home and can bounce back from that latest costly defeat.
Race 4 No13 STATE FLAG (each Way)
Trainer: Tom Ward – Jockey: Trevor Whelan
All three of the principals in the betting for this restricted maiden are well drawn, but at the respective prices STATE FLAG gets the vote. The daughter of U S Navy Flag defied her 100-1 no-hoper price by getting to within a length and a quarter of Get The Music On on her debut at Kempton and can go forward to thwart Character Testing and Ezra Cee.
