VROOM hacked up at Southwell last Tuesday and a 6lb penalty is unlikely to stop the Gay Kelleway-trained gelding repeating the trick in the Betway Handicap on Tuesday.
Apprentice Gabriele Malune got a fair tune out of the three-year-old and unsurprisingly the 7lb claimer keeps the ride. That six-furlong heat was clearly only an average event, but Vroom would probably not have to be anything special to land this race.
Mysterious Look has run well in both her starts since returning from a six-month break and looks to have sound claims in the Betway Sprint Handicap. Ed McMahon’s filly also has good course form, having finished first and second in two races there in March.
All eyes at Catterick will be on One Track Mind as the Grade One-winning hurdler bids to put a disappointing chasing debut behind him. The six-year-old trailed in 92 lengths last of five behind Clan Des Obeaux at Newbury last month after never recovering from a mistake at the very first fence.
Trainer Warren Greatrex will have given One Track Mind plenty of schooling since then and was keen to bring him back to the racecourse as quickly as he could. He has found a golden opportunity for the horse to get back on track in the Come Racing New Year’s Day Beginners’ Chase.
Master Of Irony can make a winning jumps debut for trainer John Quinn in the Go Racing In Yorkshire Winter Festival Novices’ Hurdle. A fair performer on the Flat for Ralph Beckett, the Makfi gelding changed hands for 46,000 guineas at Tattersalls Sales in October.
The Quinn team have had several smart hurdlers, including 2012 Triumph and Fighting Fifth hero Countrywide Flame. While Master Of Irony may not reach such heady heights, he could be a useful sort.
Six of Discoverie’s seven career victories have come at Sedgefield, but his other was at Catterick in March. Ken Slack’s eight-year-old returns to the Yorkshire circuit for the Buy Your 2017 Annual Badge Today Handicap Chase and looks to have a good chance of adding to his tally.
At Wincanton, Connetable can make a successful switch to fences in the Be Wiser Insurance Beginners’ Chase. Connetable may only be four but trainer Paul Nicholls feels the French-bred gelding is ready to tackle the bigger obstacles.
He was no slouch over hurdles, winning a Listed contest at Sandown and earning a place in the Triumph at Cheltenham, although he cut no ice in the big prize won by Ivanovich Gorbatov.
After running respectably on his seasonal reappearance in a handicap hurdle at Haydock last month, Connetable looks primed to strike with his yard on a high after a four-timer on Saturday afternoon.
Triggywinkle ran below par at Hereford on her latest start but had won her previous race on this course. The Kevin Bishop-trained seven-year-old can return to form back on happy hunting ground in the Be Wiser Insurance Handicap Chase.
IRISH NEWS YANKEE
Nap: Vroom (12.30: Southwell)
Double: Mysterious Look (2.30: Southwell)
Treble: One Track Mind (1.20: Catterick)
Yankee: Master Of Irony (1.50: Catterick)
