King On The Run looks the pick

With no all-weather racing today, a busy day of jumping is in store, and after separating the wheat from the chaff, King On The Run looks a decent bet to top up the kitty for Cheltenham next week.

Venetia Williams sends the 12-year-old across Wales to Bangor in search of prize money in the Great Daffodil Appeal Handicap Chase, and the gelding, who is approaching veteran status, has definitely shown signs of coming to himself of late.

For a horse of his age, King On The Run is very lightly raced, having had just 17 outings to date.

He has won six of them, although half were as a promising novice for David Nicholson and he has obviously had problems because he only raced once for nearly three years before returning to the track in January.

However, in his four runs since his comeback, the King´s Ride gelding has been getting steadily better and most recently ran the fast-improving Beau Supreme to a head at Ludlow.

At Fontwell Concert Pianist can give Peter Winkworth a welcome success via the cantorspreadfair.com Handicap Chase.

The Chiddingfold handler´s runners are a regular sight on courses in the South East, and have been particularly well this season, including the 10-year-old Concert Pianist.

The gelding actually came fourth to the mighty Baracouda at the tricky Sussex track a few years ago in the National Spirit Hurdle, and performed well in a higher grade than usual last time.

He took some good prize money when chasing home the talented but enigmatic Whitford Don at Warwick last month, and a reproduction of that would see him home on this occasion.

The most interesting horse in action at Catterick is the former Nigel Twiston-Davies inmate Lewis Island, who makes his hurdling debut for Brian Ellison.