PUT TRUST IN SPECIAL KAYF

Graeme McPherson can further advertise his skills with a thoroughbred by saddling Kayf Blanco to a significant victory in the Matchbook Imperial Cup at Sandown tomorrow.

The Gloucestershire handler has had a fine campaign with his small squad, and has especially high hopes of a big run from Ami Desbois at the Cheltenham Festival.

This eight-year-old has realistic claims, too, but is still likely to be overpriced as he does not belong to a big yard and has hardly been in prolific order.

Indeed, he has not won since November 2015, but that slightly concerning statistic is offset by the level at which he has been operating this winter.

After all, it should not be forgotten that he got to within four and threequarters of a length of the Champion Hurdle-bound Brain Power in a Listed race over this course and distance in December.

Kayf Blanco’s last outing was probably his best, though, as the McPherson runner finished fifth behind Ballyandy in the Betfair Hurdle at Newbury.

What was significant that day was the manner in which he scrapped his way through the Berkshire mud, which tends to align with the fact his two victories to date have been achieved in soft ground.

And with Sandown’s terrain highly unlikely to be rattling fast, that might well be a prize asset.

Cap Soleil will not be heading to Cheltenham, but the wise Fergal O’Brien looks to have engineered a nice bit of placing with her in the Listed mares’ bumper on the card. Her head defeat of Daphne Du Clos, who was considered a big player at Cheltenham next week until injury struck, was really good.

O’Brien’s inmate appears to have less on her plate at Sandown, and yet she is also in receipt of a good bit of weight from virtually all the field.

There is quality allweather racing at Wolverhampton,whereExaminer might be worth a bit of interest in the sunbets.co.uk Lincoln Trial Handicap.

This return to just over a mile, a distance at which he has done all of his winning, could eke out an improvement.

The Listed sunbets. co.uk Lady Wulfruna Stakes looks a wide-open affair, but it might pay to side with Yuften.