13:40 Newbury
This is a handicap chase over two and a half miles and has attracted a reasonable looking field as it's part of the middle distance chase series.
Crosspark, trained by Caroline Bailey, is at the top of the handicap and he appeared to find three miles beyond him last time out at Uttoxeter. Prior to that, he was a good winner over two and half miles in heavy going at Leicester, so reverting back to that trip makes sense. He has won on good to soft before, but probably wouldn't mind the rain to come and it remains to be seen whether he can win again from his new mark of 136.
Mr Medic was a very easy winner last time out over 19 furlongs at Exeter, making that his third win over the larger obstacles in five attempts. That was in a much lower class of race, however, and he has a whopping 15 pounds hike in the handicap to contend with today. Robert Walford has been among the winners recently and this six-year-old is clearly going the right way, but it would be a massive effort to be able to win again here from his current weight.
Henri Parry Morgan is undoubtedly the class horse in the race, having been rated as high at 150 previously and he finished sixth in the Scottish Grand National at Ayr when last seen, in April. This trip of two and a half miles is definitely on the short side though, and Bowen is surely using this race to get him fit. Peter Bowen takes the ride today and claims an extremely useful seven pounds, therefore, it he could stay in touch then there won't be a horse staying on as strongly as Henri Parry Morgan.
The Venetia Williams trained Willie Boy hasn't raced for over 200 days, but he was a very easy winner that day over this distance at Uttoxeter. He is another who has been hit with a 15 pounds rise in the weights, so will probably have needed to have improved over the summer if he is to go in again.
Today's selection
Crosspark - 1 point win at 5/1