Kempton (AW) 7:54 Result

Rage Of Thunder is clearly progressive, winning last time out and with a recent 3rd sandwiched in the form line (005135), showing he's in good heat over course/distance-type conditions on the AW. Top-weight at 135lbs reflects that recent improvement but he's still only rated 75, well within range, and a gelding at 4yo with a clear upward trajectory. Tom Queally takes over and the Moore stable are in solid form with sprint handicappers at Kempton. Draw 5 is workable on this track/trip. Mission Command (041771) is the obvious market rival with a similar recent win but his form figures show more inconsistency (0,4,1,7,7,1) compared to Rage Of Thunder's cleaner upward pattern, and he steps up in class/grade pressure with a tongue-tie that hasn't always translated to visible improvement. Moe's Legacy has been racing without a win for a while (742527) and looks held. Peter The Wolf and Early Release are unproven at a competitive level and drop into a race where the front two look several lengths superior on recent form. Newsreader and Irish Nectar are both toiling on marks that look moderate given their recent efforts (6-6064, 040494) and neither has won recently. Rage Of Thunder's last-time-out win plus consistent placing gives him the strongest recent-form case, and with the manageable weight rise and accomplished handling of the track type, he looks the value combination of proven current ability versus the market perception that may lean toward Mission Command as safer citation. I'm siding with the horse that's actually winning right now.