Summer Plate Tips: Mountain to climb to Market Rasen win

We are set for a hugely competitive renewal of the Summer Plate Handicap Chase at Market Rasen on Saturday afternoon, and our tipster Steve Chambers previews the National Hunt showpiece here and picks out his best bet in the race...

Fergal O'Brien's Mortlach has been a real revelation over the last couple of months as the seven-year-old has racked up four wins on the bounce, and the unbeaten chaser will look to land his biggest prize to date on Saturday in the Summer Plate. A facile 11-length winner at Uttoxeter last month, the progressive seven-year-old will need to defy a 6lbs rise to land this prize, but in the form of his life he has to be a leading contender. A winner on good ground last time out, Mortlach will have to deal with likely quicker conditions this weekend, and in what will be his toughest task to date in a competitive field he could just struggle to maintain the winning thread.

Peter Bowen recorded a stunning seventh victory in this race last season with Francky Du Berlais, and that raider will attempt to retain his crown again this weekend, but he will have a tougher task this time around as he's 2lbs higher in the handicap. A notable winner at Uttoxeter three starts ago, Francky Du Berlais has struggled to kick on from that success, but he did finish a promising third at Uttoxeter last time out, so he will head to the Lincolnshire track in decent form, and at 6/1 he could be the solid each-way play.

Statuario will add more depth to the Bowen charge, as the Welsh handler looks to build on his stunning record in the race, and that charge, who is available at double figured odds has been knocking on the door of late - racking up a trio of second placed finishes. However, this is arguably a tougher task than all of those three runs, and he was comfortably beaten by Mahler's Promise in the Summer Plate trial last time out.

Unsurprisingly, Mahler's Promise sits prominently in the betting for this event having shown his class in the trial, but the seven-year-old will need to defy a 5lbs rise in this tougher test, and while he could well improve for that outing he may just come unstuck against some classier rivals.

Emma Lavelle's MANOFTHEMOUNTAIN was deemed good enough to compete in the Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham back in November, where he finished 8th of 19 and off a 6lbs lower mark in Saturday's contest he could be the one to side with at 10/1 here. Last seen finishing second at Uttoxeter, the nine-year-old runs off the same mark of 138 here, so if he can kick on from that excellent run at the Staffordshire venue then he looks to have an excellent chance of landing this prize, and if he can repeat that aforementioned Paddy Power run then he will take all the beating.

Jonjo O'Neill last trained the winner of this event back in 2014 with It's A Gimme and the Jackdaws Castle inmate will fancy his chances of landing the prize again with the in-form La Domaniale, who was last seen cruising to a victory in a three-runner event at Uttoxeter. Given a 5lbs hike for that event, he will need to improve, but the manner in which he dispatched his two rivals in that contest suggest there's more under the bonnet and he is another major contender.

Of the others, Peregrine Run has some smart form on his CV and if at his best has to run a big race, while Texard and Rapid Response add more depth to a race that can go the way of the Lavelle team.