Lake can make an impact on day one of the festival

Nicky Henderson's novice chaser has shown some good bits of form this season

Hammersly Lake (left) takes the fence just behind Le Prezien and the departing Some PlanCredit: Mark Cranham

So Diamond King goes for the Plate rather than the JLT, which is good news. He is now single figures to win, and let's hope a break and racing on better ground will galvanise him back into the same sort of form he was in at the festival last season. He must have a good chance.

Interestingly there has been a bit of money floating around for Le Prezien in the same race recently, and his form ties in with the latest portfolio poke, Hammersly Lake, 20-1 for the Close Brothers Novices' Handicap Chase.

Nicky Henderson's nine-year-old was a disappointing favourite at Doncaster last time out but is better than that, and he has been absent since anyway, suggesting he wasn't at his peak then.

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Nick WattsWeeklies editor

Published on 1 March 2017inHorse racing tips

Last updated 15:28, 1 March 2017

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