SEASONED racegoers, aged 50-plus, may well remember Polly Peachum. She was a high-class sprinter, racing in the mid-1970s for Sheriff Hutton trainer Mick Easterby.

It is a sign of age creeping up when the same name comes around again and the present-day Polly Peachum is trained at Lambourn by Nicky Henderson and is a totally different kind of horse.

The current Polly Peachum is a hurdler and, like her namesake of yesteryear, is a high-class performer.

She won two of her last three races last season and was also triumphant on her reappearance earlier this month at Wincanton where she underlined her class.

It speaks volumes of how far she has come in a short space of time that the six-year-old has raised her rating from 117 to 155.

Her target this afternoon at Kempton is the OLBG Mares’ Hurdle, which carries Listed status.

It will take a good one to beat Polly Peachum, which is something that used to be said in the past of the original North Yorkshire-based model.

Dougie Costello is enjoying an excellent run at present and the former Malton jockey, nowadays based in Oxfordshire, has a good chance of lifting the opening Openwork Foundation British Stallion Studs Novices’ Hurdle on Alphabet Bay.

The four-year-old made a bright start to his hurdling career when winning by five lengths at Worcester.

This will be a tougher assignment for him, especially under a penalty, but the Warren Greatrex-trained gelding hails from a yard in unstoppable form and is not to be underestimated.

Philip Hobbs has his horses in excellent form and the Minehead trainer has good prospects of adding to his ever-growing tally of winners with Brother Tedd in the Interactive Novices’ Hurdle.

The five-year-old won by no less than 19 lengths on this course last time out and although this looks tougher, he is plainly a horse with a bright future.

Neville (1.05), a stablemate of Brother Tedd, and King Edmund (2.45), a previous course and distance winner, who finished a creditable second at Ascot on his most recent outing, are also worthy of a second look at the Sunbury course.

At Wolverhampton, Give Us A Belle makes plenty of appeal in the opening £20 Risk-Free Bet At Unibet Handicap.

Christine Dunnett’s sprinter has finished second on his last two visits to this course, beaten no more than a length on each occasion.

He is a four-times winner at this venue and, with Adam Kirby on board, is napped to make it five from a favourable draw on the sprint track.

Kirby can double up on Razor Wind in the Download The Coral App Maiden Stakes.

The Godolphin colt has finished runner-up on his last two starts and, although he was a beaten favourite last time out at Kempton, the switch back to a mile may have caught him out.

He is upped to a more suitable distance here and is fancied to make amends.

Excelling Oscar won in decent style at Southwell last week and Hayley Turner’s mount may be able to follow up in the 32Red Casino Nursery Handicap.

Connor Dore’s charge has a 6lb penalty to overcome but the trainer feels he’s improving with every race.

North Yorkshire apprentice Connor Beasley has just three winners to ride to lose his claim and he can inch another step closer to his milestone aboard Gambino in the Ladbrokes Handicap (division one).

The four-year-old won well here last week with Beasley on board and a second success may not be out of the question.

Also worth noting on the Tapeta surface are Rockaroundtheclock (3.05) and Be Royale (5.05), successful on their latest starts at Kempton and Southwell respectively.

 

Tom O'Ryan's selections

Wolverhampton today

2.00 Give Us A Belle (NAP), 2.35 Razor Wind, 3.05 Rockaroundtheclock, 3.35 Alba Verde, 4.05 Excelling Oscar, 4.35 Gambino, 5.05 Be Royale, 5.35 Loraine.

Kempton today

12.35 Alphabet Bay, 1.05 River Maigue, 1.35 Neville, 2.10 Polly Peachum, 2.45 King Edmund, 3.15 Brother Tedd, 3.45 Lough Kent.

Today’s other meeting

Ludlow.

Tomorrow’s meetings

Lingfield, Sedgefield and Southwell.