Niffler

Clear Storm is a consistent and reliable mare trained by Neil Mulholland, who recently ran a strong race at Fontwell. She was narrowly beaten by just half a length over 2m3 and has shown me that she handles this distance and ground well. With a solid record of placings and a clear pattern of running to her form, she looks capable of taking advantage of her current mark here for the win.

A Path To Ronda looks like a really exciting mare as she made a striking impression when winning her maiden hurdle at Stratford with plenty in hand, showing a great deal of stamina and smooth hurdling. Trained by Jamie Snowden, who knows how to get the best out of his young horses, and ridden by Gavin Sheehan, this mare is likely to relish the step up to 2m6f here.

Sophie Power has had a bit of a rough patch, but I really feel she’s got the talent to turn things around. She’s a solid 2m mare who handles this ground well, and with a clean round of jumping, she can absolutely put those past mistakes behind her. Sam Twiston-Davies is a top jockey who’ll know how to get the best out of her, and I expect her to show plenty of determination in this race. Her mark might look a little high on paper, but I think if she settles and keeps it together over the fences, she’s capable of running a big race and could surprise a few here.

Kingston Gent is a consistent, honest hurdler who often runs well without quite getting the win. Trained by Philip Hobbs, he has good experience over distances around 2 to 2m4f and manages softish ground well. His recent form shows he was below his best at Ffos Las over 2m4, but stepping up to a slightly longer trip could suit him better. He’s likely to travel fairly prominently and be in the mix for places if allowed to settle and finish strongly. A decent each-way with potential to bounce back here.

Zimbabwe looks like a good value angle here. Qatar is at home and they are technically stronger, but their recent form has been patchy. They often play lower-tempo friendlies, which keeps their opponents in the game. Zimbabwe comes in with decent organization and enough counter-threat strategies to stay competitive across these 90 minutes.

Jagiellonia should control this friendly from the start. They are the far stronger professional side, with better fitness, technical quality, and depth in the squad. GKS typically sit deep and struggle to handle faster, possession-based teams, so this looks like a good punt here.