Kempton Tip – 4.00pm Tuesday
Kempton’s three-mile handicap chase at 4pm this afternoon looks a wide-open affair with bookmakers going 11-2 the field for the 14-runner contest. Irish firm Paddy Power are top price this morning for the Richard Hobson-trained Valadom, offering odds of 12-1 about the seven-year-old ex-French performer.
The grey gelding got off the mark for his new handler at the second attempt, easily winning a Worcester handicap off a 12lb lower mark last September, before failing to beat a rival at Bangor a week later. That race may have come too soon for the mount of Alain Cawley who has performed with much credit in a number of cross country races at Cheltenham when almost certainly finding the 3m 6f trip of those unique contests too far.
Sandwiched in between two of those efforts was a creditable runner-up spot behind the progressive Mystifiable at Leicester when trying to concede that horse 13lb. Fergal O'Brien's inmate is now running off a 22lb higher mark so that was an excellent run by the selection who is capable of leading his rivals a merry dance from the front at Kempton.
Present View heads the weights on 11st 12lb but Jamie Snowdon's runner hasn't been in the best of form this season while the Paul Nicholls runner Port Mellon looks in the grip of the handicapper at present. The biggest danger to Valadom may turn out to be Cloudy Bob who seems to reserve his best for this track and is still on a winnable mark of 124.