'The Irish horse is going to be difficult to beat' - can Slate Lane complete a hat-trick in Britain for Emmet Mullins?

This race will appeal to big-hitting punters who enjoy smashing into a short-priced good thing and those who seek to find a strong each-way alternative in an eight-runner field.

The Emmet Mullins-trained Slate Lane is sure to start a red-hot favourite in his bid to complete a hat-trick in Britain following successes at Cartmel and Bangor this summer.

He barely came off the bridle to slam subsequent Fontwell scorer Horizon D'Or by two and a half lengths last time out and the pair were 29 lengths clear, so a 10lb rise may not be enough to stop him.

Slate Lane's half-brother Destiny Is All finished second to Volcano over three miles and five furlongs at Warwick in March, so it's entirely possible this step up in trip will produce even more improvement.

Mr Yeats won this race 12 months ago, his cause aided by 7-4 favourite Valentino unseating Harry Kimber two out when the conditional's saddle slipped.

He is 4lb worse off with Valentino this time and trainer Milton Harris will be hoping a first-time visor, instead of the usual cheekpieces, will eke out a bit more from the six-year-old.

Mr Yeats possesses course-and-distance form figures of 113, while Valentino also excels at the track, boasting equivalent figures of 11U2.

Valentino hasn't raced for 303 days but the gelding does tend to go particularly well fresh – he returned from a 166-day absence to produce the second of those course-and-distance wins – and it's long odds-on trainer Jackie du Plessis has laid him out for this £18,500 race all year.
Race analysis by Richard Birch

What they say

Seamus Mullins, trainer of Tommie Beau
We thought we'd try something different and give him a spin over hurdles as there wasn't much for him over fences at the moment. You can ignore his run at Newton Abbot over hurdles as he was coming back off a break, and he ran a nice race at Cartmel over fences last time out. He's fit, in good form and he'll have an each-way chance.

Milton Harris, trainer of Mr Yeats and Presenting Yeats
I don't like running two against each other but it's a lot of prize-money. They're full-brothers and prolific winners. I don't know how Mr Yeats hasn't got his head in front this year as he's been admirably consistent. He's a small fella, so I'm claiming off him. Presenting Yeats is more difficult to deal with and the owner was very keen for Bradley [Harris] to ride. I wouldn't read anything into the jockey bookings. They're both good each-way chances but the Irish horse coming over is going to be difficult to beat.

Jackie du Plessis, trainer of Valentino
I hope he's ready for his comeback. He had bad luck in the race last year because the saddle slipped and the jockey came off two out. It looks a competitive race, so I'm hoping he runs to his best. I'm a bit worried about the ground because it's turned good to soft and he really needs it quick.
Reporting by Charlie Huggins

Do you want £400+ of free bets? Racing Post have got the best offers, all in one place. Visit racingpost.com/freebets to find out more.