Nicholls' Bouvreuil can turn back the clock given preferred conditions

The clocks will have fallen back by then, but this timepiece advances the claims of Bouvreuil in Sunday’s 188Bet Monet’s Garden Old Roan Chase (3.00) at Aintree on Sunday.

Paul Nicholls’ seven-year-old drew a blank in four starts lasts season, but he rarely got his preferred conditions and acquitted himself well when sixth behind Taquin Du Seuil in the BetVictor Gold Cup at Cheltenham in November on ground softer than ideal.

Back on quicker ground, he produced his best effort on the clock when third behind Road To Respect in a red-hot handicap at the Cheltenham Festival and remains on a good mark.

Nicholls is in fine form and Bouvreuil can end his lean spell.

Mendelssohn (left) chasing home US Navy Flag in the Dewhurst StakesCredit: Alan Crowhurst

Aidan O’Brien has 12 of the 22 acceptors for the Racing Post Trophy (3.25) at Doncaster and, contrary to the betting, Mendelssohn looks his leading contender on the clock.

He raised his game considerably to beat all bar US Navy Flag in the Dewhurst at Newmarket a fortnight ago and is clearly on the upgrade.

Masar looks best of those trained outside Ballydoyle and is worth a saver. The Charlie Appleby-trained youngster earned his stripes with an authoritative success in Sandown’s Solario Stakes last month but was only third at Chantilly this month. He was too keen that day and is worth another chance.

Cracksman romps home in the Champion Stakes, but did the ITV cameras get a little too close in the stable block?

Cracksman and Frankie Dettori pull away to land the Champion Stakes by seven lengthsCredit: Mark Cranham

Review

Cracksman was absolutely brilliant as he silenced the doubters with a clearcut success in Saturday’s Qipco Champion Stakes at Ascot.

Many had reservations about his effectiveness at the 1m2f trip, but John Gosden’s talented colt left his toiling rivals chasing shadows in the final quarter-mile.

A Topspeed figure of 120 was not only the best on a star-studded Ascot card but also the best of the year by any horse over middle distances.

That said, his stablemate Enable (117) would be right alongside him should they clash next year with the 3lb fillies’ allowance. What a mouthwatering prospect that would be.

Librisa Breeze had threatened to land a big prize on a few occasions in the past and he really hit the jackpot with a convincing victory in the Champions Sprint.

Dean Ivory’s stable star was just 4.38 seconds slower than standard and, after applying Topspeed methodology, emerged with a career-best 119, second only to Battaash among the season’s crop of sprinters.

Lord Glitters came from last to first to net Europe’s richest handicap, the Balmoral, by a whisker and in the process clocked a time 0.22sec faster than that of Persuasive in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes.

After factoring the respective weights, Lord Glitters produced a 5lb better performance on the clock. There were no fireworks on the clock in the Fillies and Mares Stakes won smoothly by Hydrangea.

TIME WATCH

Storm Over (90) landed a valuable sprint handicap at Catterick on Saturday for Robert Cowell and there may be more to come from this lightly raced colt. A winner of three of his five starts, the improving three-year-old has raced exclusively over 5f but could prove equally effective over 6f.

TIME WARP

Miss Spent (91) had no right to finish as close as she did to Old Guard at Kempton on Sunday in a moderately paced hurdle race and it would be wrong to take the form at face value.

Topspeed figures

Members can read the latest exclusive tipping content such as Pricewise and Paul Kealy from 8pm daily on racingpost.com

Read the full story

Read award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing, with exclusive news, interviews, columns, investigations, stable tours and subscriber-only emails.

Subscribe to unlock

Racing Post digital newspaper (worth over £100 per month)
Award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing
Expert tips from the likes of Tom Segal and Paul Kealy
Replays and results analysis from all UK and Irish racecourses
Form study tools including the Pro Card and Horse Tracker
Extensive archive of statistics covering horses, trainers, jockeys, owners, pedigree and sales data

Already a subscriber?Log in

Dave EdwardsTopspeed

Published on 25 October 2017inHorse racing tips

Last updated 12:43, 25 October 2017

Copy