1:38 Kempton Tips

Narrowly beat Secret Road, who's since won twice and been runner-up twice. Seeks to land a hat-trick, and confidence boosted with Oisin Murphy booked.

I dont rush to back horses trained in Epsom but Michael Attwater has had a couple of recent winners and SMASHER could be another. The case is very simple; Kempton suits well, 6f is definitely his trip, 'standard to slow' is fine; Class 6 company is an absolute and this is definitely the 6-yo's time of year. Plenty of his rivals are not so easy to fancy and a fair bet at the price.

A drop in trip by a furlong could be influential in getting back to his best. He is on a low mark and really should be ready for a change in fortunes. EW bet.

Tony Carroll's runners must be respected. But 6/4 is a little too short for Magna. With eight runners, Horus is selected each way. The Mike Murphy-trained colt has responded well to a tongue strap and cheekpieces. His penultimate run off top weight, when Sean Levey rode, was encouraging. He is on a mark of 52 now and, with a low draw, could be a danger to Magna.

A chance is taken on Straight Back Up. The front two in the market are respected. Low mark of 47 and jockey Lloyd Applegate claims 7 lbs. Yet to win a race. Ran fifth of six when going from the front over seven furlongs last time, just four days ago. Drops to six furlongs now and first-time blinkers are applied. Dr Richard Newland and Jamie Insole are respected trainers. Some improvement possible dropped back in trip.

Conquest of Power is a 4-year-old gelding rated 68 whose most recent run was on 9 January at Kempton over 1m, where he finished 3rd of 9, beaten just over 2 lengths after racing prominently and sticking on well. He handles the all-weather, stays this trip, and that was a solid effort, confirming he is competitive off this mark. With similar tactics and no change in rating, he has a strong chance of being involved again and looks one of the more reliable options in this race.

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