FEW trainers have been in better form in recent weeks than Venetia Williams who is fast approaching 70 winners this season and is within sight of accumulating £700,000 in prize money.

Miles do not matter to Williams when there is a winning opportunity and the Hertfordshire trainer sends Emperor’s Choice on the long journey to Carlisle today, a hint well worth taking.

The six-year-old, who is nothing if not consistent, was a dual hurdles winner and he also scored on his fencing debut at Taunton last month when getting home by a short head after a rousing finish.

Emperor’s Choice lacks some experience over the major obstacles, but he figures on a handy mark of 119 in the £25,000 Cumberland Show Handicap Chase, the feature race on the card, and he promises to make a bold bid.

Donald McCain, a regular scorer at Carlisle (among plenty of other courses) saddles the useful Sydney Paget against Emperor’s Choice.

No matter how Sydney fares, McCain has other good chances throughout the afternoon.

The Cheshire trainer runs the potentially useful Moscow Presents in the Happy 40th Birthday Lee Watson Novices’ Hurdle, while stablemate Veloce lines up in the Racing Welfare Handicap Hurdle.

Formerly a useful horse on the Flat, Veloce has never finished out of the first three in three runs over hurdles and got off the mark at Ayr last time.

He makes his handicap debut today and looks on a fair mark in a nevertheless trappy race.

At Southwell tomorrow, the nap vote is awarded to Naughtybychoice, who will have the assistance of Graham Lee in the Poker At coral.co.uk Handicap.

Trained at Norton by Ollie Pears, the lightly-raced three-year-old shaped well to finish third on this course two weeks ago.

Likely to have benefited from that outing, he can lift this modest event.

Our Ivor will be hard to beat in the coral.co.uk Mobile Betting Handicap.

Winner of both his starts this season, the Mick Appleby-trained four-year-old scored by six lengths here nine days ago and looks up to defying a 6lb penalty.

Also worth noting are course specialists Kingaroo (2.50) and Flying Pickets (3.25), who gained his sixth Southwell win last week.


Racing selections

Carlisle today
2.00 Moscow Presents, 2.30 Charlie’s Vic, 3.05 Veloce, 3.40 Emperor’s Choice (NAP), 4.10 Full Of Joy, 4.40 Imjoeking.

Today’s other meetings: Southwell and Wolverhampton.

Southwell tomorrow
1.50 Roc de Prince, 2.20 Stand Guard, 2.50 Kingaroo, 3.25 Flying Pickets, 4.00 Mother Jones, 4.35 Naughtybychoice (NAP), 5.10 Our Ivor.

Tomorrow’s other meetings: Taunton and Wetherby.