SOME small fields, but still lots of interest today. There’s Defi Du Seuil v Un De Sceaux (the rematch) in the Grade 1 Matchbook Clarence House Chase for starters, and the more rain that falls, the greater the chance that Willie Mullins’ horse will avenge his Tingle Creek defeat.

There’s also the Champion Hurdle Trial at Haydock, the The (sic.) New One Unibet Hurdle, in which Darasso is a fascinating contender. We haven’t seen Joseph O’Brien’s horse since he beat Cadmium in the Webster Cup, a Grade 2 chase, at Navan last March, before Cadmium went to Aintree and danced in in the Topham Chase off a mark of 152.

Fascinating

Darasso was a late scratching from the Matheson Hurdle at Leopardstown’s Christmas festival, and he holds entries in the Champion Hurdle and in the Irish Champion Hurdle, and here he is today, all set for the Champion Hurdle Trial. It will be fascinating to see how J.P. McManus’ horse goes.

From a betting perspective today, however, the Peter Marsh Chase at Haydock has a better shape to it, because a few of those towards the top of the market may be vulnerable. It looks like Prime Venture is a better horse at Chepstow than he is anywhere else, and he is handicapped on his Chepstow form, while Definitly Red may not be as good as he once was.

Acting Lass is more difficult to take on, he is a wholly likeable individual, but he is fairly short, he is not really unexposed any more, and he can be keen in his races. Also, he is up another 3lbs for finishing second to Regal Encore at Ascot last time.

Value

Midnight Tune could be the value of the race. Anthony Honeyball’s mare is a lightly raced chaser who loves soft ground and who continues to progress. Winner of three hurdle races during the winter of 2017/18, all on soft or heavy ground, including a Grade 2 contest at Sandown, she only raced twice last season, her first as a chaser, and she got off the mark over fences with a fairly bloodless victory at Uttoxeter in November.

She was good too in a mares’ novices’ chase next time at Exeter under a 6lb penalty. She was long odds-on that day, and she only got home by four lengths from Dame Du Soir, but the extended two-mile trip would have been way short of her best, and the runner-up came out and was impressive in winning a novice chase next time at Hereford against the boys.

She should appreciate the step back up to an extended three miles today, and she will love the ground. She can tend to jump to her right, but that may not be any harm on soft ground today. Her handicap rating of 136 looks very fair, it is only 4lbs higher than the mark off which she ran well for a long way in a handicap chase at Plumpton in February last year before she came down at the second last fence. She has raced just five times over fences, and she has the potential to go higher than today’s mark as a staying chaser on soft ground.

Diva the answer

Another mare, Happy Diva, could be the answer to the Bet365 Handicap Chase at Ascot. Espoir De Guye was seriously impressive last time at the track, and he has bags of potential, but this is a step-up in grade and he is a stone higher now than he was that day.

Happy Diva won the BetVictor Gold Cup at Cheltenham in November off a mark of 143, 6lb lower than today’s, and she proved that she was up to that mark when she split two top-class mares in Lady Buttons and La Bague Au Roi in a thrilling listed mares’ chase at Doncaster last time.

Kerry Lee’s mare won’t mind the soft ground, and she has run really well on the two occasions on which she has run at Ascot.

Also, as a bonus, Richard Patrick, who gets on really well with her, can claim the 3lb that he couldn’t claim in the listed mares’ chase last time.

Recommended

Happy Diva, 1 point win, 3.00 Ascot, 9/2 (generally)

Midnight Tune, 1 point win, 2.40 Haydock, 6/1 (generally)