Back Unioniste to shake off rust after lay-off

RACING: Nicholls’ grey can prove his class on first run since Cheltenham

UNIONISTE must be the pick in the Geoffrey Bosley “Tally Ho” Open Hunters’ Chase at Taunton, despite the fact he has been off the track for 299 days.

A classy chase performer in his pomp for Paul Nicholls, the grey perhaps failed to fulfil the potential he appeared to have in his younger days, when he finished a creditable fourth in the RSA Chase as well as winning the December Gold Cup at Cheltenham.

Last seen when ninth in the Kim Muir at the 2017 festival, Unioniste has all the hallmarks of another top hunter chaser for Nicholls.

PAD LE YOUR OWN CANOE can score a third win on the bounce in the Greenslade Taylor Hunt Handicap Hurdle.

The four-year-old has won two of his three starts to date for Colin Tizzard and he impressed last time as he shrugged off a 5lb rise for winning at Exeter to power home by eight lengths at this track.

The handicapper has hiked him 12lb in the ratings since that verdict, but Padleyourowncanoe is clearly progressing at a rate of knots and can rise to the challenge once again.

INTIMATE ART has slipped back to his last winning mark and merits a small interest in the sunbets.co.uk Handicap at Southwell.

Andrew Balding’s charge has seen only limited action to date, notching 10 runs as a four-year-old, and he has put up a mixed bag of performances.

A winner back in October 2016, he scored for a second time last July when winning what was a competitive heat at Chelmsford off a mark of 83, with all but two of his seven rivals that day going on to win themselves.

Intimate Art subsequently flopped on his next start on turf and was then off the track until last month, when he again finished well down the field on his return at Kempton.

He raced wide throughout on that occasion under a 7lb claimer but never looked like making any kind of impact, with the handicapper dropping him back to a perch of 83.

Balding has booked Oisin Murphy for the ride this time so Intimate Art will certainly not want for any help from the saddle and that recent outing should have got his eye back in. SELECTIONS

SOUTHWELL: 12.15 Acker Bilk, 12.45 Born For Prosecco, 1.15 Sheriff, 1.45 Intimate Art, 2.20 Jack The Truth, 2.55 Viva Verglas, 3.30 Give Us A Belle.

TAUNTON: 12.35 Drewmain Legend, 1.05 Blackmill, 1.35 Darcy Ward, 2.10 Wicked Willy, 2.45 PADLEYOUROWNCANOE (NAP), 3.20 Unioniste, 3.50 Sizing Tara.

DOUBLE: Padleyourowncanoe and Intimate Art.