IT’S not easy to knock Willmount. He has raced four times and he has won four times.

Winner of his only point-to-point when he was with Colin Bowe (he beat Shannon Royale into second place, and Shannon Royale beat Tullyhill in a maiden hurdle at Punchestown last month), he won his two bumpers for Neil Mulholland. On his seasonal debut last month, his first run for Nicky Henderson, he was impressive in winning a novices’ hurdle at Newbury.

He is short though for this afternoon’s feature race back at Newbury, the Grade 1 Coral Challow Hurdle and, exciting prospect though he is, this is a big step up in class, for all that we still don’t know how good he could be.

It’s a similar story with Johnnywho – he is unbeaten in three races: a point-to-point for Ellemarie Holden, a bumper at Taunton on his first run for Jonjo O’Neill, and a novices’ hurdle at Carlisle on his second.

He was impressive in winning at Carlisle too, and there is every chance that he will take another step forward here.

But there is more solidity about the case for Captain Teague. Another Colin Bowe point-to-point winner, Paul Nicholls’ horse won a bumper at Plumpton on his debut under rules just before Christmas last year, and he ran a massive race in the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham in March on his second run.

Strong race

The Champion Bumper is usually a strong race, and last season’s renewal is looking good, with Fact To File, Lecky Watson, It’s For Me, Loughglynn and Chapeau De Soleil, among others, all enhancing the form of the race.

Captain Teague was impressive in winning the Grade 2 Persian War Hurdle at Chepstow in October on his first run over hurdles.

He was beaten last time in the Grade 2 Hyde Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham’s November meeting, but – while we weren’t to know it at the time, given that the race was run on the first day of a three-day meeting at which, a little unusually, it probably wasn’t a disadvantage to race around the inside on the hurdles track – he probably raced on the slowest part of the track for much of the latter part of that race. Also, he was conceding 5lb to a progressive rival in Minella Missile.

Recent history tells us that Paul Nicholls likes to run his good horses in the Challow Hurdle.

He has won the last three renewals with, respectively, King George winner Bravemansgame, Turners Chase winner Stage Star and this week’s Kauto Star Chase runner-up Hermes Allen.

It is significant that he is happy to allow Captain Teague take his chance, even on the back of his defeat in the Hyde Novices’ Hurdle, a race that the champion trainer won with last year’s Challow Hurdle winner Hermes Allen.

It is also obviously significant that Harry Cobden has chosen to ride Captain Teague in front of Farnoge, who has won his three races under rules. The Challow Hurdle is usually a race in which there is a premium on stamina, and it appears as if Captain Teague is not lacking in that department.

Out of a mare who won over two miles and five furlongs, you can see him going beyond the intermediate trip in time.

Mandarin Chase

Certainly Red is dropping back in trip in the Coral Mandarin Chase 35 minutes earlier, and you wouldn’t say that he needs to, given how well he kept on over three miles and four and a half furlongs to take third place in the London National at Sandown last time. But this three-and-a-quarter-mile contest at Newbury at this stage of the year also put a premium on stamina, and that should suit Lydia Richards’ horse well.

The move to a left-handed track should also suit him. He has run over fences 10 times in his life and, strangely for a horse who can go to his left, nine of the 10 races have been at right-handed tracks.

His only run over fences at a left-handed track was in a handicap chase at Lingfield in November last year, when he was brought down at the fourth fence.

He racked up a hat-trick in his next three races after that, winning twice at Wincanton and once at Sandown, despite jumping to his left in all three races. His handicap rating increased as a consequence from 122 to 142.

Seventh in the Bet365 Gold Cup off that mark on his final run last season, and fourth in the Badger Beer Trophy on his debut this season, the handicapper dropped him to a mark of 138, and he dropped him by another 1lb for his run at Sandown last time. This means that he is now rated 137, the absolute ceiling for this 0-135 contest.

He has to carry 12st 2lb, but he should appreciate the drop in grade. Proven on soft ground, he could be up to conceding the weight.