Yesterday’s runner was far from successful, with Lilting Verse jumping less than fluently on several occasions before weakening two from the finish. Onto the next.
| Newbury 15:35 |
Navajo Indy |
7/1 |
On Saturday, I’m interested in what is arguably the biggest race of the day. It’ll be one of the races with the biggest betting turnover, that’s for sure. I am of course referring to the William Hill Hurdle at Newbury, and at odds of 7/1, Navajo Indy looks worthy of support.
A touch disappointing last time out at Windsor, the six-year-old gelding, who remains less than fully exposed, returns to the scene of his last crime, while he meets plenty of the key race trends.
Newbury record is hard to knock
Prior to finishing fourth at Windsor, when perhaps not being suited by the tight bends, this horse won nicely over course and distance, getting the job done in a very competitive handicap back in November, winning as if there was a bit more left in the tank too.
That was his third effort at Newbury, where he now has two wins and a second to his name, and let’s face it, it’s not as if he ran poorly last time out, despite not being suited to the track, so I’d argue that he still has more to give now returning to a track that clearly plays to his strengths.
It’s interesting to report that there are eight key trends that either 14 or 15 of the last 15 winners of this race have met. Navajo Indy meets all eight of those trends. That's not to be ignored in my book.
Is this race any deeper than the C&D contest that he won before Christmas? Perhaps slightly, though he certainly gave the impression that he’d have little problem running as well in a marginally better race, beating horses that have since gone on to run rather well in similarly tricky races.
Ultimately, I like that he meets all of the key trends here. I like that he’s low in the weights, while his course record is also a clear positive. With first-time cheekpieces applied, don’t be surprised to see Tom Symonds’ runner lay down another serious challenge at the Berkshire venue. With 7/1 on offer, I’m betting that he can do just that.
Based on a £10 level-stakes example, the Nap of the Day (after 90 Naps) has a running P/L of -£25.00 (since switching to being published here (10/09/2024) rather than on the ‘Nap of the Day' page).
For those interested, here’s a monthly profit and loss breakdown (again based on a £10 level-stakes example):
September 2024 = +£34.00
October 2024 = +£6.00
November 2024 = +£15.00
December 2024 = +£50.00
2024 Overall = +105.00
January 2025 = -£120.00
