Kempton top tips: Strong finish expected from Youthful King in Scottish Sprint Cup

14:40 Kempton: Virgin Bet Scottish Sprint Cup Handicap (1 mile 2 furlongs)

Only three of these have won over this middel-distance trip before and one of those, Dream Harder, is a Tapeta specialist.

The other two, Old Peculier and Youthful King, clashed over 10 furlongs at Lingfield at the start of last month, finishing within a neck of each other in second and third places behind the hugely progressive winner, Penzance.

Planet Sport Bet Daily Special: Bet £20+ cash on any runner in the race and if Old peculier finishes in the first 3 places, get a £5 Free Bet

There is little doubt that Youthful King would have finished at least second had he not had so much ground to make up, and had he not then made it even harder for himself by coming very wide and forfeiting lots of ground around the final bend.

After riding claims, Youthful King is effectively 3lbs lower today, and 5lbs better off with Old Peculier, who also has a wider draw.

On the back of that run, Youthful King was very well tipped-up when he returned to that course and distance on Good Friday, when he ran very well again, finishing a never-nearer  fourth of 14, but that home straight is too short for him, and he will have a better chance over the extra furlong at this venue, where the 11- furlong trip utilises the outer loop, making for a longer and more galloping home straight.

This will give Youthful King more time to get into full stride and it is very significant that the best win of his career to date, by some considerable margin, was his Class 2 handicap win over 11.5 furlongs at Windsor, which is a tight, flat, right-handed track with a long run-in.

Suggested bet: Youthful King each-way in the 14:40 at Kempton

He won that handicap last summer by an easy 3.5 lengths and his is effectively only 3lbs higher today.

He has proved himself to be very versatile tactically, having made every yard for each of his last three wins, yet producing two storming finishes from the back of the field at Lingfield the last twice.

Draws in stalls 13 and 14 no doubt contributed massively to the way he was ridden in those last two handicaps, and stall 10 today will probably require another strong finish.

But this time, he has a combination of a longer and more galloping home straight and an extra furlong, so this could be his day.

 

• Tips and analysis provided by Steve Jones who runs CD Systems Daily Bargain on Tipstrr

Of the others, the top weight Cemhaan, the only previous winner at this track, could go very well from stall 6.

He returned from a 154-day break in late January to run a very solid  fourth of nine in a strong 0-106 Class 2 over 12 furlongs here.

He was just beaten for a bit of finishing speed off a slow pace and this bigger-field contest should generate a more suitable pace for him, and he can also be expected to come on for the run.

Twice a winner at this track, over both eight and 12 furlongs, all six of his wins have come on right-handed tracks with the latest of them being a five-length thrashing of eight rivals over 12 furlongs here last May.

Next best bet: Cemhaan each-way in the 14:40 at Kempton

That was under Neil Callan, who is now recalled for the first time since that day. Cemhaan stays much further than this distance, so Callan won’t hesitate to force the pace if it isn’t quick enough for him.

Third of 16 off 104 in a big York handicap last summer, he certainly isn’t handicapped out of this off 105, and the standard-slow surface should assist him over this trip.

 

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