John Gosden, trainer of Solace
Jumpers' bumpers are hardly the most fertile of punting grounds, so today's SmartPlays come from Lingfield.
We're taking in the last three races of the afternoon card, starting with a sprint handicap at 15:05. It's a race that looks like boiling down to two, with last-time-out winners Khawatim and Polar Venture duly clear in the betting. Preference is for the former, who isn't as unexposed as Polar Venture but is evidently well handicapped, having useful form to his name in France and coming back to form to land a gamble from a BHA mark of 71 at Wolverhampton last time. Raised just 4 lb for his efforts and still rated 20 lb below the mark he started from in this country, if Khawatim can keep on the resurgent path to any appreciable degree then he'll prove very tough to beat.
The 15:40 is a maiden over 10 furlongs for three-year-olds and, perhaps unsurprisingly given the time of year, none of the nine-strong field have ever run over so long a trip. Plenty have the potential to improve for it, though, including the John Gosden-trained Solace. He's also one of the more experienced in the field, with four runs under his belt already, including when turned over at odds on last time. That defeat can be excused, though, as Solace wasn't seen to best effect over an extended mile. One of his very best efforts came over nine-and-a-half at Wolverhampton, so we can be hopeful of Solcase putting his best foot forward and finally getting his head in front here.
We return to sprint handicaps for our final SmartPlay, this time siding with the young up and comer. Admittedly, there's no Khawatim in this race, so Prince of Prophets stands out as a would-be selection. He frequently shaped better than the result prior to him landing the odds in style over this trip at Wolverhampton, making all and never threatened as he ran out a two-and-a-quarter-length winner. A rise of just 6 lb doesn't do the manner of that victory full justice and, up against another raft of generally exposed rivals, there's every reason to think Prince of Prophets can go in again.
Timeform SmartPlays
All at Lingfield
Back Khawatim @ 2.6213/8 in the 15:05
Back Solace @ 3.711/4 in the 15:40
Back Prince of Prophets @ 2.568/5 in the 16:10
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