Given trainer Paul Nicholls’ excellent record in the 2m Wayward Lad Novices’ Chase, Grand Sancy looks decent value to provide him with another winner in the Grade 2 contest at Kempton on Thursday (13:20).
The Ditcheat handler has won the race six times times, including the last two renewals.
In Grand Sancy, Nicholls has a five-year-old who developed into a top-class novice hurdler last season.
He won four of his eight starts and has since shaped with plenty of promise on his chase debut.
The last of those successes came in the Grade 2 Kingwell Hurdle at Wincanton, where he showed a really willing attitude to scalp more experienced rival Sceau Royal by three-quarters of a length.
It was a superb effort, especially as he gave 2lb to the runner up who was rated 9lb higher going into the contest.
Prior to that, Grand Sancy ran a blinder when a half-length runner-up to Elixir De Nutz in the Grade 1 Tolworth Hurdle.
The form of those races is strong, as is his reappearance outing when runner-up in the Grade 2 Elite Hurdle at Wincanton.
He made Champion Hurdle hope Fusil Raffles battle hard before going down by just three-quarters of a length.
Grand Sancy comes into this having been pitched into the deep end on chasing debut when third in the Grade 1 Henry VIII Novices’ Chase at Sandown earlier this month when third of six to Esprit Du Large.
After being held-up, he got outpaced three from home before staying on again to be beaten just under 15 lengths.
Grand Sancy jumped well in the main and it was a highly promising introduction in a hot-contest.
This represents an ease in grade, so – at 4/1 with BetVictor – he looks well worth a wager.
Sceau Royal taken to deliver in Desert Orchid
With Altior ruled out of the race with an abscess, Sceau Royal looks the one to be on at 6/4 with William Hill in the 2m Grade 2 Desert Orchid Chase (14:30).
This Alan King trained seven-year-old is a consistent top class sort who has won five times and been placed on three occasions over fences.
His biggest success cane in the 2017 Grade 1 Henry VIII Novices’ Chase at Sandown, but the Simon Munir and Isaac Souede owned gelding has also posted some cracking efforts in defeat at the highest level.
They include when a 3 1/2 lengths third to Altior in the Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival where he led at the final fence before weakening close home.
Sceau Royal also ran a cracker when runner-up to the same rival and beaten 2 1/2 lengths in the Grade 1 Celebration Chase at Sandown.
This son of Doctor Dino was going well enough and looked a threat two from home only to hit the fence hard. He then had no chance with Henderson’s stable star, but stuck to the task well.
The form of those races set a clear standard in the lower grade Desert Orchid Chase. An official rating of 164 means that Sceau Royal is the highest rated in the five-runner line-up.
It makes him very much the one to beat. Sceau Royal is entitled to strip much fitter for his recent comeback run in a red-hot renewal of the Grade 1 Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown when sixth of eight to Defi Du Seuil.
He is thus taken to give 3lb to main market rival Duc Des Geinievres and cash-in on what looks a good opportunity to get back on the scoresheet.
Class-dropping Belami De Pictons handicapped to strike
Belami Des Pictons looks to hold outstanding claims of providing in-form trainer Venetia Williams with another winner in the 3m handicap chase (15:05).
This eight-year-old has won three of his seven starts over fences and has a 56 per cent strike rate on the forecast soft ground.
His last success came at Leicester back in February 2017 where he strolled to a facile 33-length success over Zeroshadesofgrey.
Belami Des Pictons was then on the sidelines for 250 days, before running a cracker to be beaten just 2 1/2 lengths by the now 165-rated Waiting Patiently in the 2017 Colin Parker Memorial Chase at Carlisle.
He has had just two starts since and comes into this having shown that he retains plenty of ability when fourth of 17 to Happy Diva in the valuable and ultra-competitive Grade 3 BetVictor Gold Cup at Cheltenham off a mark of 146.
After getting hampered at the second, Belami Des Pictons responded well to pressure and stayed on well after the second last to be nearest at the finish and beaten just over 16 lengths.
The third home Warthog, who beat him by six lengths and was conceding 14lb to, has since landed the Caspian Caviar Gold Cup at the same venue – so that gives the form a solid look.
Belami Des Pictons has been dropped a pound for that fine effort, so looks well-weighted off a revised rating of 146 in this lower grade class 2 affair.
With his handler also operating at a rate of 46 per cent in the last 14 days at the time of writing, there is nothing not to like about Belami Des Pictons’ chances and he can be backed at 11/4 with 888Sport.
