Devon National takes centre stage at Exeter

The jumps season continues at Exeter today with one of the feature events of the entire campaign - the Devon National. 

With 21 fences to negotiate over three miles and six furlongs, the race is one of a test of stamina and endurance and eight runners are set to tackle the marathon distance. 

Winner of two starts over fences, the Paul Nicholls-trained Take Your Time is taken to get back on track in the Devon National (3.40) having disappointed over course and distance last time out, following on from a 21-length romp at Wincanton. The main threat is likely to come from Track And Trace, trained by Jonjo O’Neill - an Irish point-to-point winner who got off the mark over fences in fine style on his last run when scoring at Catterick. 

The Devon National is just one of seven races on the card at Exeter on Friday, with racing getting underway at 1.30 with a handicap chase before coming to a close at 4.45 with a bumper - a Flat race won over Jumps rules - and all races will be shown live on Racing TV.

Top Of The Bill is aiming to be the star attraction in the opener (1.30), a course and distance winner who is bidding for a hat trick here having scored at this track on his last two outings for trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies. Hurricane Highway looks to be the main danger, who chased home Top Of The Bill 23 days ago and is aiming to go one better. 

Race two (2.03) is a maiden hurdle with a small field of four runners set to tackle the 2m5f trip around Exeter. Mad Mike was a 100/1 winner - initially - on his last run at Chepstow before being demoted and is backed to score again here, with the third from that run having subsequently won. 

Six runners will head to post for race three of the afternoon at 2.33, a mares hurdle contest which should go the way of Dolly Delightful, who doesn’t have many miles on the clock and was a runner-up over course and distance 23 days ago. 

Race four acts as the warm-up for the Devon National at 3.05 and Spirits Bay sets a very high bar and will be hard to beat over the extended two-mile trip. The six-year-old was a faller when well in contention at Cheltenham in December, with second and third place finishes prior to that and is the clear class of the field. 

After the Devon National, race six on the card (4.10) is a class four handicap hurdle over the 2m7f trip. Eleven runners will head to post and a competitive race could go the way of Chloe's Court, a course and distance second last time out who is taken to improve this time. 

The card rounds off with the bumper at 4.45, where £200,000 buy Bill Joyce is of big interest. A winner of his sole point-to-point outing in Ireland, now with trainer Jonjo O’Neill, the five-year-old landed a big gamble on debut on the track at Warwick and holds leading claims once again. 

Exeter selections (via Cheltenham odds)

1.30 - Top Of The Bill 

2.03 - Mad Mike

2.33 - Dolly Delightful

3.05 - Spirits Bay

3.40 - Take Your Time

4.10 - Chloe’s Court

4.45 - Bill Joyce

Thanks to Racing TV https://www.racingtv.com/cheltenham-festival/free-bets and for the selections https://www.boylesports.com/sports/horse-racing/future-horses.