Tony Calvin Antepost Tips: Two pronged attack at Kempton this Saturday

A first sweep of the weekend ITV races at Newcastle and Lingfield - and the two races at the latter course, with a combined five-day entries total of just 16, didn't take long - did not immediately throw up any punting opportunities, so I will return to Kempton for my second ante-post piece of the week (you can read the first, a 1600+ word column on the Coral Trophy here.

I will have another look at Newcastle in a bit, but the bet to be had in the opener at Kempton, the 2m4f110yd handicap chase at 1.15pm, hit me four square in the eyes straight away.

Alan King's horse ticks plenty of boxes

Step forward Deyrann De Carjac at 7/1 each way, ¼ the odds, 1,2,3, with the Betfair Sportsbook.

Now, I know I have a bit of recent history with this horse, so I basically only needed to look at his current handicap mark to complete the picture, but I make no apologies for siding with him here.

I would just about have him as favourite over Flegmatic and Patroclus, available at 4s and 5s respectively, in here.

I have no idea if he is due to run (and his trainer also has Valleres in the race) but this is his only weekend engagement - Beakstown, Cilaos Grace, Foxboro and Hollywoodien are the only horses double-entered - and surely Alan King's eyes would have bulged when looking at this opportunity.

I appreciate his 9yo's recent form is someway detached from the level that saw him win a good class Huntingdon novice under a penalty in November 2019, and went on to finish placed behind Champ and Midnight Shadow in Grade 2 company immediately afterwards.

But he was rated as high as 146 then, he is down to 129 now, and it is not as if his outings this season have been devoid of promise.

Quite the contrary, given one proviso.

Granted, he has jumped more like Eddie The Eagle than Matti "The Flying Finn" Nykanen of late - I was sad to see the latter had died when I googled him, as he was a well-known name from my sporting youth, with the Winter Olympics registered- but Deyrann De Carjac has still managed to post highly creditable efforts in two competitive Cheltenham handicaps on his last two starts, and he has come down a further 4lb for them.

He walked right through one fence in a 74k-to-the winner handicap in one of those - and he literally didn't take off there, as well as meeting a few others wrong - and he occupied the same fifth placing at the same track on New Year's Day, staying on well enough from off the pace in another hugely valuable handicap.

This 0-130 handicap is a fair step down in class for him, and offers up a far easier winning opportunity, than either of those races and if he can travel more kindly here (it wouldn't surprise me if King put some first-time headgear on him) and stay closer to the pace, then he really does have a huge chance.

And maybe he will find this a more suitable jumping test than Cheltenham and, equally, less of a strain on his stamina.

And the expected better ground here - it looks like being good to soft at worst if the forecast is correct - will suit him, too. Most of his better form has come left-handed but the aforementioned Huntingdon win obviously came this way around, so hopefully that is no concern.

With the stable also emerging from a lean spell - and King won this race in 2020 and 2013 - all is in place for a return to form, and I suspect the 7s will become 5/1 by the end of Tuesday.

Previous C&D can't be ignored...

Of the others, Flegmatik has an obvious chance after his win over 3m here last time (the application of a tongue-tie appears to have helped him), and I fear Le Cameleon, One True King and Not A Role Model, too.

In fact, I was debating whether to put up Not A Rode Model as a saver as a 14/1. He ran poorly at Ludlow last time but he didn't seem to be in love with the place - he jumped left there, and he has done that in the past too, so that is a slight worry - and the course and distance winner is well treated on his second off a 3lb higher mark at Chepstow in December, just three starts ago.

In fact, I will put him up, too.

It could be that the ground has been too soft for him on his last two outings - he was held up on both occasions too, and he can go from the front - and that Chepstow form has worked out well.

The winner was only just beaten off a 7lb higher mark next time, the third was beaten a neck at Haydock on Saturday and the fourth, Foxboro, also in here, was touched off by Le Cameleon at Fontwell last time. The fifth won next time out too, and the seventh obliged at Newbury on Sunday.

The Sam Thomas yard continues to go great guns, with his last three runners winning, and I am happy to back him at 14/1 each way, too.

Any 12s would be acceptable, too; he isn't shorter than that anywhere in the wider marketplace at the moment.

The fact that the 9/4 favourite for the Adonis Hurdle at 13:50pm, the unbeaten Knight Salute, is also entered in the Dovecote muddies the betting waters for both races.

But it could obviously end up working in Moka De Vassy's favour in the Adonis, and he is the horse I like in here.

Again, I am not sure if he is an intended runner, and they may already be happy with his mark of 126 if they are aiming him at the Boodles, but he is definitely of major interest from a potential and form perspective.

I am going to fight shy of putting him up here at 6/1, but I certainly would have taken my chances at the 9s he was available in the marketplace earlier on Tuesday morning.

The Williams' actually won the Boodles with Flying Tiger in 2017, and that horse finished a well-beaten fourth in the Adonis before winning at Cheltenham.

Whether that should temper enthusiasm for Saturday I am not sure but Moka De Vassy looks a typical improver for this outfit, unraced on the Flat, and the way he travelled into his race at Cheltenham last time, and found only Pied Piper too good up the straight, was pretty impressive.

This could be a decent race - as well as the form horses we also have four lively, unraced ones from the Flat, now with big jumping yards - but he will definitely be on my radar if he is confirmed for the race on Thursday.

None of the other two Kempton races caused much of a stir with me, and neither did the Newcastle and Lingfield races on a second sweep - only five horses in the Eider are double-entered, so I expect the field size to hold up on Thursday, with bigger prices about many, and enhanced place terms, resulting - so I am going to make the sub very happy and stop now.

Back on Thursday afternoon. Maybe Friday, we will see how the odds pan out.

And please do self-isolate if testing positive for Covid, people. Do the right thing.

DOUBLE ENTERED HORSES ON SATURDAY'S ITV RACES

Kempton 13:15pm: Beakstown, Cilaos Grace, Foxboro, Hollywoodien,
Kempton 13:50pm: Knight Salute, Legionar
Kempton 14:25pm: Do Your Job, Our Power, Zhiguli
Kempton 15:00pm: Barrichello, Knight Salute, Legionar
Kempton 15:37pm: Beakstown, Zhiguli, Galahad Quest, Our Power
Lingfield 13:30pm: King Of Stars (entered at Southwell on Tuesday), One Night Stand, Strong Power (entered on Wednesday)
Lingfield 2.05pm: NONE
Newcastle 3.15pm: Gwencily Berbas, Samuel Jackson, Wishmoor (entered at Navan on Tuesday), Classic Ben, Big Nasty