After a £1m refurbishment Southwell's all-weather Flat racecourse is open for business again, which means there will be even more traffic on the A1 as North Yorkshire runners head to the Nottinghamshire course.
Tomorrow's eight-race card has attracted a host of horses from these parts, including Paddywack, who represents Stillington trainer David Chapman, on the mark with Quito at Doncaster on Saturday.
Paddywack has been running well in defeat lately on turf and the evergreeen seven-year-old is fancied to make his presence firmly felt in the Bet Direct On 0800 32 93 93 Handicap over six furlongs. Tony Culhane has the mount.
Malton trainer Richard Fahey will also be taking advantage of Southwell's re-opening and could well be rewarded with a brace of winners.
Fahey, who has enjoyed his best campaign on turf, saddles Paparazzi in the Bet Direct Nursery. This lightly-raced juvenile, a creditable third on Wolverhampton's Polytrack last time, is open to further improvement.
Abelard, another who has been running respectably at Wolverhampton, goes for the Littlewoods Bet Direct Maiden Stakes over five furlongs and can provide Fahey and his stable-jockey Paul Hanagan with a double.
Middleham trainer Patrick Haslam has the opening nursery race as a target for The Pen to bid for her third success of the campaign.
The juvenile showed a good attitude to score at Redcar last week and may not not be found wanting under a 6lb penalty. Gavin Faulkner has the mount on my Nap selection.
Over the jumps at Sedgefield, County Durham trainer Howard Johnson can continue his excellent form. Johnson, who has his horses in excellent form, withdrew all his runners from yesterday's Ayr meeting owing to heavy rain which turned the course into a quagmire.
Treybor (1.20) looks an interesting newcomer in the totesport.com Maiden Chase, while Astronomic, formerly useful on the Flat, commands plenty of respect in the Northern Echo Novices' Hurdle.
Tomorrow's Tips:
Southwell
12.30 The Pen (Nap), 1.00 Romil Star, 1.30 Paparazzi, 2.00 Hows That, 2.30 Aberlard, 3.00 Irusan, 3.30 Paddywack, 4.00 Cottingham.
Sedgefield
1.20 Treybor, 1.50 Culcabock, 2.20 Astronomic, 2.50 Benefit, 3.20 Fairy Skin Maker, 3.50 Silk Trader.
Tomorrow's other meeting is at Huntingdon.
Tom O'Ryan's Nap for this afternoon's racing was: Rio Riva (4.45 at Wolverhampton).
Updated: 11:09 Monday, November 08, 2004
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