Bangor-on-Dee 5:12 Result

Small four-runner field where the top-weight Roadlesstravelled has an appealing early form line (111PP) but the two P's are concerning - he's failed to complete his last two starts and is off an 80-day break, suggesting fitness/jumping question marks under a big weight of 164lbs off a 132 rating in only a limited-handicap novice chase. That's a lot of risk for the market leader. Captain Cool, by contrast, is in career-best form: 122131 reads strongly, with a recent win last time out just 19 days ago, showing he's fit, in form and progressive. He's carrying only 1lb less than Roadlesstravelled off a similar mark (131 vs 132), so weights are basically levelled, but his consistency (five top-3 finishes from six runs, including the last four) trumps a horse that has fallen/pulled up in his last two starts. Trainer Jennie Candlish has this string firing, and Sean Quinlan is a shrewd jumps rider. The tongue-tie addition suggests they're fine-tuning a horse already going the right way. Krak and Ice In The Veins are both notably lower-rated (115 and 113) and look to be there for minor placings rather than to win - Krak's C&D form is progressive but he's conceding a stone-plus to the top two, and Ice In The Veins' form figures (49-P23) are moderate with an unreliable completion record. This looks a match race between #1 and #2, and I prefer the horse in winning form and fully fit over the one who needs to bounce back from two non-completions. Captain Cool is the value angle against a vulnerable favourite.