Horse Racing Tips: Rhys Williams' NAP is a staying hurdler at Warwick

Return to hurdles and change of headgear to spark a revival

Warwick 17:00: Pour Une Raison 1pt win 14/1

Pour Une Raison was generally woefully out of form last season, failing to complete on four occasions and the nearest he got to the winner in three completed starts was 39 lengths when seventh of eight at Hereford. However, there was some promise two starts ago and I think the switch back to hurdles and blinkers going on for the first time could result in him showing far more today.

He won over C&D on his final start of the 2020/21 season off a 5lb higher mark than he races off today. A visor went on for the first time that day and having raced handily throughout, he easily went clear in the closing stages to win by nine lengths.

Headgear was left off on his next two starts over hurdles and then cheekpieces were applied when he finished tailed off in heavy ground over C&D on his latest start over hurdles.

Pour Une Raison has since been switched to chasing and after showing very little on his first two starts, he ran with more promise two starts ago at Plumpton when a visor went back on for the first time since his win at this track. Having always been prominent, he was travelling well in front approaching the first in the back straight on the final circuit but he clipped the top of the fence and came down.

He's since run poorly at Exeter but he backed off the first fence and was never going well after that, eventually being pulled up.

His jumping has been an issue over fences so I think the switch back to hurdling will suit and I think the switch in headgear could help as he's clearly not straightforward. The single-figure field will help him too as I think he doesn't like being crowded so he's likely to have more room and if he races wider he won't be trapped as wide as might be the case in a bigger field.

It might be that he doesn't take to the blinkers and shows no interest from an early stage again but given the potential for a revival I think he's overpriced and any 12/1 or bigger appeals.