Rhys Williams' Friday Racing Tips: Morfee to improve for longer trip

Step up in trip to bring improvement

Fontwell 13:20: Morfee 1pt win 9/4

Sending Love heads the market for the opening race at Fontwell but he comes into this race on the back of a disappointing run at Southwell when running well below his rating of 133. He's hardly looked the most hardy under pressure (quelle surprise given his sire) and while Bryan Carver might get the chance to control the pace in front, I think he's worth opposing.

Morfee has quite a bit to find on ratings with Sending Love but he's shown enough in a bumper and in two runs over hurdles to think he could be more of a threat to the favourite than the ratings and market suggest.

He looked a stayer when running on well on debut in a bumper at Doncaster at the start of the year and four subsequent bumper winners have come out of that race.

On hurdling debut at Exeter, his jumping lacked fluency early on at the back of the field. He was still at the back of the main group at the last hurdle in the back straight before making a bit of headway on the bend. He couldn't make any more ground from that point but plugged on to finish fourth behind three horses now rated in the 130s.

He finished behind on those three horses, Orbys Legend, on his latest start at Sandown. He raced in fourth or fifth in a tightly-packed field for much of the race and turned into the home straight in a share of last. Nudged along on the run to 2 out, he jumped that in fifth and was still in that position at the last before staying on well on the climb to the line to finish second.

While he might ideally want a bigger field to have an increased chance of a well-run race, I think the step up in trip will certainly suit Morfee who has looked short of speed so far in his races. There is also a chance that given Sending Love's keen-going nature and possible pressure from another rival, that this race won't be steadily run.

If Sending Love is at his best then he will be tough to beat but that's a big 'if' at the moment and Morfee is a bet at any 7/4 or bigger.

Ex-pointer to be suited by sharper test

Exeter 16:50: Pretty Stranger 1pt win w/o the fav 12/1

Kilmington Rose is a short-priced favourite for the first race at Exeter and while she was disappointing last time at Newbury and hasn't looked the easiest of rides, she could have too much class for these. Rather than take her on, I think the appealing option is in the without the favourite market.

Pretty Stranger showed promise on both starts in Irish points for Brian Jordan, a trainer who Evan Williams has had various horses from in the past. On her debut at Tinahely, she was always prominent, despite some less than convincing jumping, and was still in contention on the run to 2 out. She took a few bumps on the approach to the fence and dropped back slightly before diving at the fence and falling. The winner of that race, Fashion's Model, has since finished fifth in a Chepstow bumper and the third, First Glory, won a bumper at Lingfield.

She went to Boulta for her second start and ran with more promise than the 19-length defeat suggests. She was keen early on and hampered at the second fence causing her to lose some ground. She moved into third jumping 3 out and was nudged along to track the leading pair into the home straight. After jumping 2 out a couple of lengths behind, she had little left and weakened quickly under pressure to finish fifth. The winner of that race, Queens River, has since been bought for £330,000 and joined Nicky Henderson while the runner up was bought for £75,000 and has joined Olly Murphy.

The sharper test looks likely to suit Pretty Stranger as she's likely to settle better with the quicker pace and she didn't see out the 3m in testing ground.

Outside of the favourite her other rivals don't set a particularly high bar. Wilderness ran quite well in a race that fell apart at Wincanton and has been well beaten since. Storm Katie was well beaten on debut although could improve for a wind op and tongue tie. And Lily Glitters showed some promise in bumpers but was beaten a long way on hurdling debut.

I think Pretty Stranger can run better than the market suggests and any 7/1 or bigger appeals in the without the favourite market.