Kempton Saturday

1:30 Join Coral Bet £10 Get £50 Juvenile Hurdle 2m

Pourquoi Pas Papa ran on Friday so is expected to come out here, with a Rule 4 to consider for early bettors.

That’s a pain, but as long as eight go to post, there is a good each-way shape to the race, and I think that King Al can improve sufficiently from a promising debut to make the frame at least.

Not a Cheltenham horse on pedigree – he’s by Al Kazeem out of a Kingman mare and best at around 10 furlongs on the flat, his best effort when beaten on the nod at Nottingham in October, belatedly proving himself on a soft surface.

King Al was unsuited by the modest pace when fifth to Macktoad and Pourquoi Pas Papa in a juvenile at Sandown, and while the winner failed to boost the form next time, fourth-home Klycot was a winner at Exeter in December and there isn’t much wrong with the form.

King Al, it’s fair to assume, may well have stamina limitations over hurdles and the speed-favouring track at Kempton is likely to suit him.

He was held up to preserve his stamina at Sandown, but would make more appeal with his high cruising speed utilised better, as I hope will happen here.

2:05 Coral “New” Horse Racing Bet Builder Handicap Chase 3m

This isn’t the strongest contest with a few of the contenders having stamina limitations or simply out of form. Welcom To Cartries may not quite have lived up to a lofty price-tag, but he’s found his level outside of graded company and comes here on the back of a win at Sandown over today’s trip.

He’s not well handicapped per se, but a 4lb rise for Sandown is fair and he should be better suited by conditions than most, none of whom are thrown in, either.

The Doyen Chief is his main danger with a couple of recent runs over further not showing him to best effect, and a return to a bare three miles will suit this course and distance winner.

2:40 Coral Silviniaco Conti Chase (Grade 2) 2m 4f 110y

Kalif Du Berlais was in need of the run on his return in the Haldon Gold Cup and appeals as much the likeliest winner of this contest.

His best form last year came around two miles, but his poor run in the Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase at Sandown almost certainly owed more to heavy ground than it did to the two-and-a-half-mile trip.

The son of Masked Marvel certainly shapes as if this trip will be within his compass, especially at Kempton, where he was an impressive winner of the Adonis Hurdle as a juvenile hurdler.

3:17 Coral Lanzarote Handicap Hurdle 2m 5f

Double Powerful’s recent form (UFU) reads more like a paramilitary group from the West Midlands than a handicap hurdler, but his latest failure to complete was not his fault, the gelding swerving to avoid a faller and decanting Sean Bowen in the process.

Prior to that he had been showing up strongly in novice chases before finding the fences getting in his way.

Neil Mulholland’s gelding was a sharp improver over hurdles in 2024/25, winning six handicaps off the reel, and that would have been seven but for an overconfident ride at the Grand National meeting in April.

He has looked as good as ever on recent starts and will be suited by a strong pace at this trip, with his hold-up tactics tending to be advantageous in this contest.

I can’t help having a saver on Just A Rose, who lacks the experience for a handicap of this nature, but looked a graded performer when bolting up on her hurdles bow at Taunton last winter.

The Dawn Run at Cheltenham was too much too soon, but she shaped perfectly well when fifth on her handicap debut back at Taunton last month.

On good ground, she became outpaced before staying on late, and the combination of softer ground and a two-furlong increase in trip can elicit enough improvement to see her play a big part.

Recommended:

King Al 1:30 Kempton – 1pt e/w 10/1 (general)

Double Powerful 3:17 Kempton – 1pt e/w 16/1 (general – 5 places)

Just A Rose 3:17 Kempton – 0.5pts e/w 25/1 (Ladbrokes ¼ odds 4 places)