In-form Evan Williams out to make a splash at Wincanton with Coconut

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The eye is immediately drawn to Coconut Splash, whose lightly raced profile suggests he can improve his rating of 131 considerably now stepped up in trip.

A point-to-point winner over three miles in Ireland, the £180,000 purchase has form figures of 2F13 since joining Evan Williams.

Those last three runs have been at two miles and he remains unexposed at 2m4f over fences.

He shaped nicely in third behind Anemoi on his chasing bow at Chepstow last month and runs off the same mark.

Soft ground suits him ideally and, although the winner and runner-up from that race have been since well beaten in stronger company, the fourth, Glajou, did uphold the form with a cosy Southwell success.

The Paul Nicholls-trained Diese Des Bieffes returns from a mammoth 972-day absence and after a wind operation.

He finished fifth as a 17-2 shot in the 2018 Martin Pipe at the Cheltenham Festival on soft ground, but there was a suggestion from his former trainer Nicky Henderson, after a win at Cheltenham a month later, that less testing ground was important to him.

Chris Gordon has never had a stronger team, and Top Man, a ten-length Fontwell winner on his penultimate start, looks capable of a bold show if putting a subsequent first-fence Sandown mishap behind him.

Useful mare Lust For Glory, who finished second to a 122-rated Not So Sleepy (now 20lb higher) at Ascot last November, makes her second start over fences with a chase rating 5lb lower than her hurdles mark.
Race Analysis by Richard Birch

What they say

Alan King, trainer of Messire Des Obeaux
He's only had one race since the spring of 2017 after getting a leg [injury] at Aintree and it took a long time to get him back. He seems to retain plenty of ability but I do feel that whatever he does here he will improve for it. Daryl Jacob has been in a few times to school him and he's a big, scopey horse, so we hope he takes to fences.

Paul Nicholls, trainer of Diese Des Bieffes
He’s been off a long time and he’ll come on for the run.

Olly Murphy, trainer of Collooney
He's in good form at home and his schooling has been very good. He had point-to-point form in Ireland and has been crying out for a fence. He should have a good each-way chance if he relaxes, which he didn't at Haydock last time.

Evan Williams, trainer of Coconut Splash
He's a lovely young horse who has just been a bit babyish and just had to get his confidence going again after a bad fall over hurdles at Newbury. He needed a fence sooner rather than later and it was a smashing run at Chepstow on his reappearance.

Chris Gordon, trainer of Top Man
He's had a couple of schools since he came down at the first at Sandown, where he was bumped into and looked a bit unlucky. He's in good order at home and should be fine on the ground, but it looks a very competitive race.
Reporting by Graham Dench

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