Best Bets: Monday 11 December

Gibbys Girl (Trap 1) - 15:26 Sheffield

A winner in this class of A6 in October, Gibbys Girl (T1) arrives having had little go right on her most recent outing six days ago as she was forced to check at halfway and was always on the backfoot afterwards. A reliable operator in this class, she holds a class edge over most in this field and, granted her share of luck-in-running, she can pass this test.

Hopes Knight (Trap 6) - 20:06 Nottingham

Hopes Knight (T6) is fancied to dispel a couple of lesser efforts and come out on top in heats of the Arena Racing Company National Sprint. A classy operator boasting a 50% strike rate, he’s much better than each of his last two starts would imply and he can get handy around the opening corner and power home off the second bend to book his place in round two.

Farneys Trend (Trap 3) - 20:21 Nottingham

The likeable Farneys Trend (T3) dipped under the 18-second barrier when bolting up over C&D seven days ago and he looks to hold sound claims again. An admirable sort with a strong-running style, he’s clearly at the top of his game at present and can pass this test with a clear run.