Royaume Bleu will appreciate the step up back in trip in the 3.40 at Folkestone today and makes plenty of each-way appeal at the 9/1 on offer.
Alex Hales’ six-year-old finished fourth of this mark over hurdles in December, and has run two eye-catching races on his latest starts over the larger obstacles.
He was given a confidence boosting round when third of 6 to Bankstair at Lingfield and then duly stepped up on that effort when a strong finishing 3/4 length third to Don’t Tell Sailor over 2m 4f at Uttoxeter last time out.
The gelding jumped with much more fluency that day and could be considered and ulucky loser as he was badly hampered at both the second and the fourth and needed to be nursed back into contention.
The way he finished off his race suggested that a step up to today’s 3m 1f journey would see him in far better light and that he was certainly capable of scoring from his current mark of 80.
This doesn’t look the strongest of contests, and given that he is still relatively unexposed over fences I think he will take all the beating granted a clear round.
Daily Sport recommended bet: 2pts each-way Royaume Bleu (9/1 Ladbrokes, Victor Chandler – BOG)
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