Aintree yesterday, Cheltenham tomorrow - a sure sign that the jumping season is now well into top gear as the Flat campaign begins to wind down.
Admittedly, tomorrow's Cheltenham card is a fairly low-key affair by the standards set by the home of National Hunt racing, but there should be plenty of interest, all the same, particularly in Hernandita in the £15,000 Thwaites Smooth Beer Handicap Hurdle.
The six-year-old, trained by Emma Lavelle, goes into battle on the back of a hat-trick of wins, which was completed at Worcester last month.
On that occasion, Hernandita scored by a convincing three-and-a-half lengths from Kim Fontenail and the favourite Sardagna, who finished three lengths further behind in third.
Clearly in great heart at present, Hernandita has more on her plate here, but it would take a brave man to say she can not complete a four-timer.
Football Crazy will be hard to beat in the opening race, the Centaur Novices' Hurdle.
Like Hernandita, Peter Bowen's gelding has been in great form lately, rattling-up a sequence of wins.
His latest success came at Market Rasen last month when he had five lengths to spare over the favourite East Tycoon over two miles and three furlongs, which is a distance short of his best.
Football Crazy steps up to an extended three miles tomorrow and, in the hands of Warren Marston, is napped to oblige once more.
Amateur-rider Tom Greenall, who is attached to Mick Easterby's Sheriff Hutton stable, makes the journey south to partner Flying Trix in the Telectronics Systems Handicap Chase, and is fancied to make his trip well worthwhile.
Flying Trix ended last season with a brace of wins and, although he lacks an outing this term, his trainer Mark Pitman has his horses in great form at present.
My Will, so impressive when scoring on his fencing debut at Market Rasen recently, is difficult to oppose in the Ray Gould Novices' Chase, while Nuit Sombre, formerly trained on the Flat by Mark Johnston at Middleham and now with Lambourn-based Nicky Henderson, should not be overlooked on his jumping bow in the Cheltenham Business Club Maiden Hurdle.
Tomorrow's tips:
Cheltenham
2.00 Football Crazy (Nap), 2.35 My Will, 3.10 Hernandita, 3.45 Tell The Trees, 4.20 Flying Trix, 4.55 Nuit Sombre.
Tomorrow's other scheduled meetings, at Catterick and Nottingham, have been called off.
Tom O'Ryan's Nap for this afternoon's racing was: Dancing Tilly (5.20 at Wolverhampton).
Updated: 10:40 Monday, October 25, 2004
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article