Warwick – Thursday 31st March

It’s been a while since I was strong enough on one in a midweek card to give it a write-up on these pages. The changing ground/weather/codes dictate that it is always a time of year (bar the big meetings) where I employ a watching brief.

Time for a little more action instead of observation today however, as I fancy Navegaon Gate quite strongly in the Every Race Live On Racing TV Handicap Hurdle at 2.40 at Warwick today. At 6/1 each-way with Sky Bet, who offer 5 places should 12 runners stand their ground, Navegaon Gate is a great each-way bet.

Nigel Twiston-Davies has had an excellent season, and it shows no signs of abating as he has banged in 9 winners in the last fortnight, including a double at Market Rasen yesterday. Being a son of Frankel, hope would have been high that Navegaon Gate would make up into a decent staying handicapper on the level with Ed Walker, but it went a little sour after a promising start.

Bought by Twiston-Davies and sent juvenile hurdling, it was apparent from an early stage of his first two starts that there was a real love of hurdling, but also that he wouldn’t have the speed to win juvenile hurdles over the bare minimum trip.

Progeny of Frankel are often strong stayers, and once sent handicapping and stepped up in trip on just his third hurdle start, Navegaon Gate quickly suggested he would be very competitive in his current grade.

Never far away at Southwell over 2m4½f three weeks ago, Navegaon Gate was just done for a bit of toe in the closing stages by the winner Highstakesplayer, who has won again since. But he kept galloping, and his leaps at the final two flights of hurdles were not that of a tired horse.

So, stepping up in trip at Warwick today, to a fairly extreme one of 3m 2½f for a four-year-old, the sense is that Navegaon Gate will relish every yard, and should be a good bit shorter than the 6/1 each-way for 5 places available with Sky Bet.