Les Eyre, already up and running this Flat turf season thanks to wins with Bawsian at Doncaster last Thursday and Sorridar at Hamilton yesterday, can strike at Catterick's opening Flat meeting tomorrow.
The Hambleton trainer saddles Onefourseven in the Manny Bernstein Handicap. This able stayer has an excellent chance of scoring in the hands of Tyrone Williams.
Onefourseven won three races last year, at Doncaster and Thirsk in the spring, and at Wolverhampton on the sand in the autumn. His best effort, though, was in defeat when third to Windsor Castle in the Northumberland Plate at Newcastle in June.
Tomorrow's one mile and six furlongs looks slightly on the sharpish side for Onefourseven, but the five-year-old holds all the aces and is Napped to capture the honours on his way to a tilt at the Chester Cup.
Fitness is at a premium at this time of the year, and Risky Whisky, who has been running regularly on the sand, can use his fitness advantage to good effect in the Manny Bernstein Early Price Service Limited Stakes.
Jack Berry's speedy three-year-old has won his last two races on an artificial surface. Now back on turf, he should take all the beating under Gary Carter.
The Manny Bernstein Gods Solution Handicap over seven furlongs looks a tricky event for punters to solve. But Knobbleeneeze should not be left out of the reckoning.
From the Mick Channon stable, which has already got off the mark this term, Knobbleeneeze is a pretty fair handicapper on his day, a winner over this distance, and a horse who tends to come to hand fairly quickly. He promises to give Allan Mackay a good ride.
Also worth noting at Catterick are Suggest (2.50), a dual-winner last season, and the promising Lindesberg (4.30), who hails from Mark Johnston's all-conquering Middleham stable.
Tomorrow's televised action comes from the jumping fixture at Ascot, where three races will be shown live on BBC, one on BBC2, two on BBC1.
Armchair punters should look no further than Sir Dante in the featured £20,000 Daily Telegraph Novices' Handicap Chase.
Trainer Richard Rowe has always had a high opinion of this seven-year-old gelding, who has done precious little wrong, in victory or defeat, this season. His latest success was gained in easy style by 11 lengths at Huntingdon and, with Richard Dunwoody in the saddle tomorrow, he is fancied to take all the beating.
In the Trillium Handicap Hurdle, it may be worth taking a chance on Daraksham to register his first win of the campaign.
Henrietta Knight's gelding ran his best race of the season when chasing home Shahrur at Fontwell last time.
In the first of the televised races, the Fairview New Homes Novices' Chase, the consistent but exasperating Kelly Mac will have the invaluable assistance of champion jockey Tony McCoy as he bids to end his long sequence of 'seconditis' and chalk-up a deserved and overdue victory.
Quest is National Favourite
ROUGH QUEST is clear favourite to repeat his 1996 victory in Saturady's Martell Grand National.
There are fifty left in the race after the vive-day stage declarations. The final declarations will be made on Friday morning.
All the major bookmakers have Terry Casey's 12-year-old, who beat Encore Un Peu by a length and a quarter in the Aintree race two years ago, at 10-1.
"He is a popular horse with the public," said David Hood of William Hill. "He won't mind the ground and without the Gold Cup winner in the race, punters have latched on to him as the horse with the best credentials."
Simon Clare of Coral, said: "Rough Quest has been by far the best backed horse in the National in the last two days, but, in general terms, the betting public are trusting the weather forecasts and pinning their hopes on the soft ground performers."
Trainer Gordon Richards has surprisingly left Addington Boy in the £300,000-added chase. He was set to withdraw all his entries but his 10-year-old remained in the field when five-day declarations were announced.
Richards, who won the National with Lucius in 1978 and Hallo Dandy six years later, warned, however, that Addington Boy is far from a certain runner.
"I've declared him but I don't know whether he will run," the trainer said. "I need to do a blood-test.
"If I got him well and my owner allowed him to run he will go and Brian Harding will ride him."
Addington Boy was pulled up after being hampered at the sixth-last fence in the Tote Cheltenham Gold Cup on his latest appearance.
Another unexpected name among the acceptors was Gold Cup fourth Senor El Betrutti, whom Susan Nock had said was more likely to contest Thursday's Martell Cup.
Explaining the decision to leave the gelding in the race, trainer Susan Nock explained: "My husband kept him in because the 'experts' think the race is going to cut up even more and it would be silly not to keep our options open.
"It is too early to say whether he will run and we will probably know more in 48 hours time.
"The horse is in cracking form and the girl who rides him came in yesterday and said he has come on a lot for his last run."
The 25 withdrawals included the injured Cyborgo, Bells Life and Young Hustler plus the retired pair Couldnt Be Better and Fantus.Edward O'Grady left in Time For a Run, whose participation is in doubt.
Latest betting:
William Hill: 10-1 Rough Quest, 12-1 Samlee, Suny Bay, 14-1 Him of Praise, 16-1 Challenger du Luc, Earth Summit, 20-1 Avro Anson, Ciel de Brion, Court Melody, Stormtracker, 25-1 Addington Boy, Banjo, Celtic Abbey, Mudahim, Nahthen Lad, Superior Finish, Time For A Run, 33-1 bar.
Coral: 10-1 Rough Quest, 12-1 Suny Bay, 14-1 Samlee, Him of Praise, Challenger du Luc, Earth Summit, 20-1 Ciel De Brion, Banjo, Nahthen Lad, Stormtracker, 25-1 Avro Anson, Belmont King, Court Melody, Dun Belle, Mudahim, Time For A Run, 33-1 bar.
Ladbrokes: 10-1 Rough Quest, 12-1 Challenger du Luc, Suny Bay, Him of Praise, Samlee, 16-1 Earth Summit, Stormtracker, 20-1 Ciel de Brion, Time For A Run, Mudahim, Nahthen Lad, Addington Boy, Senor El Betrutti, Superior Finish, 25-1 Avro Anson, Banjo, Celtic Abbey, Dun Belle, Belmont King, Court Melody, 33-1 bar.
Maximum Field
With 50 horses declared at the five-day stage for Saturday's Martell Grand National, a maximum field of 40 runners is in prospect for the first time in six years.
That could mean some horses at the bottom of the handicap being elminated.
Fabricator, one of the rank outsiders, will be a first ride in the National for jockey John Supple. Fabricator finished tailed off in the Grand Annual Chase at the Cheltenham Festival but his Richmond trainer Muriel Naughton believes he didn't have a hard race.
She said: "The owner bought him for Cheltenham and to have a bit of fun in the National, and they went a bit too fast for him last time.
"He's been off for two years with a leg problem, so I'm happy enough if the ground is on the soft side."
Another outsider is Brave Highlander, trained by Josh Gifford, who said: "He's in very good form and has an outside chance, but the more rain the better as far as he's concerned."
Maple Dancer, to be ridden by owner Dr Ian Shenkin's son Gordon, would need a few defectors to make the starting line-up, and trainer's wife Beverley Williams said they don't want rain."
Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
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