Argent Could Land Touch If Rain Arrives

A bad day for the blog yesterday, with Eastern Dragon declining to land a blow, and Aces And Kings failing to turn up in any shape or form. He was given a very strange ride by Lynch, who seemed to want to drop him in rather than dominate. He never got into the lead, or his jumping rhythm, and to be honest I knew his goose was cooked after about 100 yards of the race when he allowed the Nagle horse dictate the pace and have an easy time up front. There will be another day for this fella though, and hopefully the handicapper drops him a few pounds for that effort.

Today's selection comes from Nottingham, and should only be backed if the forecast rain arrives and changes the current good to firm ground into something a lot softer. Argent Touch, a half brother to former stable favourite Baby Strange (a confirmed mud lover), goes in the 2.40 at Nottingham and will be partnered for the first time by Stevie Donohue. This horse is now rated just 48, and his sole win came off 2lb higher all the way back in January of 2014.

However, if the forecast rain materialises he is of definite interest, as his only run on properly soft turf resulted in his best performance on grass, a decent 2nd at Pontefract in July of last year off a 10lb higher mark than today's. He wasn't beaten all that far in 5th here last time out, pulling hard, and the return to soft ground may well bring about the improvement required for him to get even more competitive. At his current odds of 16/1 he looks a lively outsider, once the ground softens.

Stevos' Selection: 2.40 Nottingham- Argent Touch (16/1 e/w).