Neon Moon can step up on a recent Ascot run to land the Join Ladbrokes Bet £5 Get £30 Handicap Chase back at that track on Friday.
David Pipe's charge made his seasonal return in a Grade Three contest at the Berkshire venue earlier this month when he ran well for a long way over 4800m before dropping away at the finish to be beaten just over 6 lengths in fifth place.
That was the nine-year-old's first outing since May and while he has won at the trip, he has also proved effective around the 4200m distance he faces here. Rated 136 at his peak last season, Neon Moon is now back down to a mark of 129 and can take full advantage on ground that should suit.
Lucky Place gets his career over fences under way in the Get Your Ladbrokes Free Ascot Bet 'Chasing Excellence' Beginners' Chase.
Nicky Henderson had initially intended to send the six-year-old chasing last season but after making a winning return in the Ascot Hurdle at this very meeting, the Seven Barrows team changed direction and he remained over the smaller obstacles.
The decision yielded a further Grade Two strike in the Relkeel Hurdle at Cheltenham but the Stayers' Hurdle proved a step too far and he was possibly past his best by the time he lined up in the Select Hurdle in April.
If he can transfer his hurdles mark of 153, he is well ahead of the opposition.
Reckless Spending lines up for the same connections in the Safer Gambling Week "National Hunt" Maiden Hurdle and is another to note.
A £200,000 purchase after finishing second in a point-to-point last October, his inexperience looked to cost him second place on his initial bumper run in May but he still shaped with promise.
Grade Two winner Fortune De Mer looks the class act in the Ascot Partners Handicap Hurdle.
Sent off a 14-1 chance at Cheltenham, he just clung on to victory in a race that was not particularly strong for the grade and his initial mark of 126 gives Dan Skelton plenty to work with.
Lundi Noir should be fit for action in the BetWright Bangers N'Cash Handicap Hurdle at Chepstow.
He returned from a 234-day break to finish third here last month and will surely improve for that 4-length defeat.
The fact Sturlasson is 3lb wrong in the weights for the Midnite: Built For 2025 Not 2005 Handicap might not be enough to stop him at Southwell.
West Acre's presence at the top of the handicap means Sturlasson must shoulder 54kg but he is a horse in excellent heart having finished in the first four in each of his five starts for John Ryan, including wins at Southwell in September and Yarmouth in October.
He looked a bit of an unlucky loser when a one-length second at Newcastle on his most recent start. - Press Association
TAB is betting on 4 UK meetings on Friday. Here are the tips:
CATTERICK: Race 1: 14.07 Emotional Roller, Race 2: 14.40 Indian River, Race 3: 15.15 Geordie Night, Race 4: 15.50 Silver Hill, Race 5: 16.25 Sleeping Satellite, Race 6: 17.00 Almazhar Garde, Race 7: 17.35 Tea Boy.
ASCOT: Race 1: 14.15 Reckless Spending, Race 2: 14.50 Getawhisky, Race 3: 15.25 Lucky Place, Race 4: 16.00 NEON MOON (NAP), Race 5: 16.35 Fortune De Mer, Race 6: 17.10 Muskoka, Race 7: 17.45 Secret Sniper.
CHEPSTOW: Race 1: 14.24 Douglas Hyde, Race 2: 14.59 Razors Edge, Race 3: 15.34 Ben Solo, Race 4: 16.09 Lundi Noir, Race 5: 16.44 The Big Reveal, Race 6: 17.19 Cornish Comedy, Race 7: 17.54 Rob's Spirit.
SOUTHWELL: Race 1: 18.30 Bin Ajwad, Race 2: 19.00 Special Ghaiyyath, Race 3: 19.30 City Cyclone, Race 4: 20.00 Tactical Formation, Race 5: 20.30 Winter Crown, Race 6: 21.00 So Alex, Race 7: 21.30 Volcanic Rock, Race 8: 22.00 Sturlasson, Race 9: 22.30 Son Of Astar.
DOUBLE: Neon Moon and Fortune De Mer (Ascot, Races 4 and 5)