Cotton Eyed Joe, who has won his last two races at Southwell by an aggregate of 23 lengths, returns to the Nottinghamshire course tomorrow with an outstanding chance of completing a hat-trick.
The First Past The Post At Betdirect Handicap is the target for the gelding, trained near Melsonby, North Yorkshire, by Alan Swinbank.
The five-year-old scored by ten lengths over a mile and a half at Southwell soon after the turn into the New Year, and he proved that was no fluke by following up in similar style last week.
Stepping up to a mile and threequarters, he swept into the lead more than two furlongs out and quickly went clear of his toiling rivals to win, easing-down, by 13 lengths.
Cotton Eyed Joe has a 6lb penalty to carry tomorrow as he steps up to two miles, but that extra weight is only a trifling disadvantage as the handicapper will be raising him by a good deal more than that when he reassesses him this week.
Dean McKeown takes the mount on Cotton Eyed Joe, who will surely be very hard to beat.
Champion jockey Jamie Spencer looks set to light up the Southwell track with a couple of winners.
The Newmarket-based rider teams-up with Roman Empire, trained at Hambleton by Kevin Ryan, in the opening seven furlong handicap and can persuade this six-year-old course winner to put his best foot forward.
Course and distance winner Amir Zaman, trained by John Jenkins, can be another winner for Spencer in the Betdirect Freephone Handicap over a mile and a half.
York-based Robert Winston, who is likely to be a thorn in Spencer's side when they resume their championship battle in March at the start of the turf season, has solid winning chances on Blue Power (1.50) and Soft Focus (3.20).
Over the jumps at Fontwell, Mon Mome can clinch the £11,000 Weatherbys Bank Novices' Chase.
The six-year-old, trained by the in-form Venetia Williams, was an impressive six lengths winner at Plumpton last month and looks to be a horse on the upgrade.
Sunley Shines is napped to take the Crown Racing Mares' Only Handicap Hurdle.
Brendan Powell's six-year-old got off the mark over this course and distance earlier in the month with an all-the-way success. Now into handicap company, Sunley Shines should take plenty of pegging back.
Tuesday's tips
Southwell
12.20 Roman Empire, 12.50 Developer, 1.20 Cotton Eyed Joe, 1.50 Blue Power, 2.20 Amir Zaman, 2.50 Kasumi, 3.20 Soft Focus, 3.50 Prince Of Gold.
Fontwell
1.40 Desert Jim, 2.10 Treaty Flyer, 2.40 Mon Mome, 3.10 Sunley Shines (Nap), 3.40 Translucid, 4.10 Nero West.
Tomorrow's other meeting is at Folkestone.
Tom O'Ryan's Nap for this afternoon's racing was: Almaty Express (4.40 at Wolverhampton).
Updated: 11:55 Monday, January 16, 2006
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