BENNY TO JET IN AT WETHERBY

WISE men should follow the King in the Rowland Meyrick (2.10).

The Wetherby thriller has thrown up some clear trends in recent years so you need to be on the lookout for horses:

Aged seven or eight Successful in one of their last two starts

Set to carry 11st or more

took apart a competitive field to land a hot Newbury handicap at the Ladbrokes Trophy meeting.

The handicapper has forced him into this higher grade but he looks well up to the job.

He hasn’t looked back since joining Dan Skelton, winning three of his four races. There could be even more to come now he steps up to 3m for the first time. Have 2pts to win at the generally-available

5-1.

The King George is set to be a Christmas cracker. The Kempton Grade 1 usually goes to a second-season chaser or a defending champ so it all points to a head-to-head between returning hero Clan Des Obeaux and Lostintranslation.

The preference is just for Colin Tizzard’s Lostintranslation after his impressive victory in the Betfair Chase at Haydock last month, but he’s not a big enough price to tempt me.

It’s a similar story in the Christmas Hurdle. Nicky Henderson has won this prize six times in the last nine years and he fires three bullets this season.

The market seems to have it right with Fusil Raffles edging out stablemates Verdana Blue and Epatante.

This ex-french fouryear-old made a stunning British debut at Kempton last season before beating Fakir D’oudairies in a Grade 1 at Punchestown, but the 9-4 on offer gives little away.