TRAINER Len Lungo and jockey Tony Dobbin, a formidable partnership in the north, can take the major honours at Musselburgh tomorrow.
They have Laouen in the £10,000 Weatherbys Bank Novices' Hurdle and this fast improving five-year-old is awarded my Nap vote.
Although he looks to be a chaser in the making, Laouen is currently showing rapid progress over hurdles.
His latest success was achieved by 11 lengths at Doncaster last month when he justified favouritism in impressive style.
Laouen has more on his plate tomorrow, but he looks sure to prove hard to beat from a stable in cracking form.
Norton trainer Malcolm Jefferson has excellent prospects of getting his name on the Musselburgh scoreboard.
Mytimie, a horse held in pretty high regard by Jefferson, lines-up for the Sean Graham Channel 4 Teletext Page 616 Novices' Chase, and I expect to be difficult to beat.
Graham Lee has the mount on the eight-year-old, who plainly failed to show his form on his latest outing six weeks ago at Ayr when he finished last of three.
Something was surely amiss that day, but the fact that Jefferson is now preparing to saddle him again suggests that he is as happy as he can be with the horse at home.
Loi de Martiale, another Jefferson runner, commands respect in the Sean Graham National Hunt Flat Race.
A creditable runner-up to the more experienced Loopy Linda in a similar contest over this course and distance last month, Lois de Martiale should be wiser this time and is fancied to go one better.
Hitchhiker, a once-promising and progressive performer, has experienced mixed fortunes in recent seasons.
But the nine-year-old has slipped to a very favourable rating and it would be unwise to rule him out of the reckoning in the Sean Graham Handicap Chase. His trainer Richard Ford was on the mark with a winner at Newcastle yesterday.
On the Flat at Wolverhampton, Nick Littmoden, a regular winner on the sand, could be the trainer to follow. Newmarket-based Littmoden can hit the target with Just Wiz (1.10) and Failed To Hit (2.55), both previous winners on this course.
Tony Culhane, who was in the saddle when Altay bolted home at Lingfield yesterday, can follow-up aboard the Saponi in the betdirect.co.uk Maiden Stakes. The William Haggas-trained five-year-old should have benefitted from his promising first outing last month.
Friday's tips:
Musselburgh
12.15 My Shenandoah, 12.45 Hitchhiker, 1.20 Laouen (Nap), 1.55 Mytimie, 2.30 Glenmoss Tara, 3.05 Curtins Hill, 3.40 Loi de Martiale
Wolverhampton
12.35 Scented Air, 1.10 Just Wiz, 1.45 Queen G, 2.20 Saponi, 2.55 Failed To Hit, 3.30 Molotov, 4.00 Miss Glory Be.
Friday's other race meeting is at Chepstow.
Updated: 13:28 Thursday, January 16, 2003
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