'He could go well at a price' - Paul Kealy with five Saturday selections after Friday's 4-1 winner

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Fantastikas
1.25 Haydock
1pt win

Shanty Alley
2.25 Newbury
1pt each-way with firms paying four places

Striking A Pose
2.25 Newbury
1pt each-way with firms paying four places

Johnnywho
3.00 Newbury
1pt win

Moon Hunter
3.35 Nebwury
1pt each-way

The Coral Mandarin Handicap Chase (2.25) at Newbury used to be a top-class race contested by Gold Cup and Grand National horses, but nowadays it seems to be more of a haven for those who have lost their way.

No fewer than half of the declared 12 runners are now rated between 12lb and 20lb lower than they used to be, which is quite alarming considering not one is older than nine.

Yes Indeed, for instance, is just six and was once rated 142 for with Jonjo O'Neill, but is now on 125 and barely ran to half that when tailed off at Bangor just over two weeks ago.

There are, of course, some in-form horses, not least Surrey Quest, who won in comfortable fashion at Huntingdon a couple of months ago, although it wasn't a great race and an 8lb rise has put him back up to a rating off which he regularly struggled when with Nicky Henderson.

I'm going to take a chance on a couple of outsiders, starting with Shanty Alley, who may well have been lined up for another crack at this after finishing second to Grumpy Charley 12 months ago.

That was on his second run of the season following a good second to Burrows Diamond at Wetherby, and while he didn't run quite so well first time up at Catterick last month, he certainly wasn't disgraced as he was in there pitching until two out and made a mistake at the last but still kept on well enough.

He's 5lb lower than he was last year, as is last year's third Laskalin, who was more than five lengths behind him then yet is a much shorter price despite not running anywhere near as well in two starts this season.

Jack Quinlan, who won the Lanzarote for trainer Ben Case on Cobblers Dream last year, gets his first crack on Shanty Alley and the pair could go well at a price.

There is considerably more risk in the seven-year-old Striking A Pose, who has dropped like a stone through the handicap to a mark 20lb lower than when starting last season.

Pulled up with a circuit to go on his return in October, he was sent for a wind operation just four days later, but could manage only a 23-length third to the progressive novice Take Your Time at Wincanton.

There were positives to take out of the race, though, as Striking A Pose was only a distant fifth turning for home and he at least managed to finish his race reasonably strongly.

It is often said that a horse needs a run to realise it can breathe properly again, so there is a chance Striking A Pose can take a further step forwards with Harry Cobden taking over. Even on the best of his disappointing form last season he's nicely treated, although, as has been discussed, there are a few about whom you could say that.

Nicky Henderson has two of his much talked-up novice hurdlers running on the card, with Willmount a red-hot favourite for the Grade 1 Coral Challow Novices' Hurdle (3.00).

In reality he boasts no better form than several of his rivals and considerably worse form than a couple – Captain Teague and Lookaway – but he's trained by Henderson, comes in here with a big price tag (£340k) and has won a point, two bumpers and a novice hurdle (here) in impressive fashion.

There's nothing special about the form of his 13-length success here last month (second and third beaten much further next time), but that doesn't mean he won't prove special himself.

He does have plenty to find with last year's Champion Bumper third Captain Teague, who was a bit disappointing when only second at Cheltenham last time, but obviously still has bags of promise.

He does look a bit more of a stayer at this stage of his career than Paul Nicholls' three consecutive winners of this – Bravemansgame, Stage Star and Hermes Allen – but is arguably the one to beat.

Johnnywho is the other really interesting one. He has a remarkably similar profile to Willmount, but is three times the price largely because he's not trained by Henderson and we don't know how much he cost in a private sale.

He was bought by JP McManus after winning his point very easily – he had none other than Hermes Allen 19 lengths back in third, so we can assume he cost a fair bit – and after missing 17 months won his bumper in a canter (Racing Post Rating 120, 3lb higher than Willmount's best) last season and then did the same last month on his hurdles debut at Carlisle (RPR 1lb lower than Willmount), a course at which Jonjo O'Neill likes to run a decent horse.

The runner-up wasn't beaten far when third to Shanagh Bob in an Albert Bartlett trial at Cheltenham so there is some substance, and if I'm going to take a chance on a horse fulfilling potential it will be at Johnnywho's sort of price and not Willmount's.

It won't be a surprise if Walking On Air proves better than his mark in the closing novice handicap chase (3.35), but I can't resist taking a chance on Moon Hunter, who was quite an eyecatcher on his chase debut when fourth from way off the pace to Idalko Bihoue at Cheltenham in October.

He did not repeat the form next time at Exeter, but might not have stayed 3m on that stiff track and, more likely, could have found the race coming too soon as on what evidence we have he seems to run his best races fresh.

His best hurdles form last season came on flat left-handed tracks, with wins at Wetherby and Doncaster, and even his runaway point success came on a massive left-handed, flat galloping circuit, and off 4lb lower than at Cheltenham he certainly has a mark to go to war with.

I couldn't find anything of interest at Taunton, but Fantastikas is worth supporting in the marathon chase at Haydock (1.25).

He's also in the Mandarin, but this is his preferred target and it's easy to see why as he's a confirmed mudlark. 

Seventh of 24 off a mark of 144 to Corach Rambler in the 2022 Ultima, he's all the way down to just 124 now, and finally showed he still had some life in him when a plugging-on second at Ludlow just over three weeks ago.

He shouldn't have much problem with this trip, and with James Turner taking off another 7lb, the eight-year-old could be hard to stop even if just matching that Ludlow form.

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