An interesting bumper at Doncasted tomorrow and a case of sorts can be made for many.
Nicholls has the best record of all these trainers and is 1/1 at the track so its understandable that his horse is the favourite. My enthusiasm is tempered for him because his dam ran only once in a p2p and was PU. Also his sales price was 30k as a foal and then 38k as a 3yo which hardly indicates a really thriving specimen.
Emma Lavelle has an outstanding record at the track but connections only parted with 5k for their horse. The dam won a p2p which indicates a sterner test may suit. Similar comments can be applied to p2p winner Tribesmans Glory.
The shortlist may not mean a huge amount but here goes;
Dhowin hails from the yard that has this seasons best record in bumpers by far. These things can go in cycles, FOB last year, Hendo before and Greatrex before that. The owner isnt one to rush his horses but he does have the occasional winner and support would be significant.
Big Nasty has a nice pedigree and also has a bumper winner in the line. The dam won over jumps and he is not easily passed over.
Big Bad Bear was sold as a foal for 14.5k and again as a 3yo for 55k. He has obviously progressed well and I expect to see a very decent animal. There is not a huge amount to go on regarding pedigree but the yard are top drawer in bumpers. Again, support should be noted.
Champagne Well has the most experience in the field and ran well on his bumper debut. The horse in front of him has been a beaten fav in a bumper since and like that one I think this boy possibly needs a trip.
The one I am going for though is LANTIERN who ran with great credit on his debut at Ascot. The worry about the form of the race is that several of them finished close up today. The winner has since gone on to win a hurdle so I suspect the form is what you might expect from the track. There are winners in the pedigree, one in a bumper, and hopefully this one can add to the dams score. The yard have not been in the winners of late but they have all run close, they are due a change of luck.