IT’S been quite a year for Malton jockey George Chaloner.

He’s ridden a best-ever 50 winners this season, has won major handicaps on Baccarat in the Wokingham at Royal Ascot and aboard Angel Gabrial in Newcastle’s Northumberland Plate, and he’s lost his apprentices’ allowance and joined the fully-fledged ranks. And he’s not finished yet.

Chaloner journeys to Lingfield today with good prospects of a double on behalf of Leeds trainer Richard Whitaker, who has been the rider’s second-best supporter behind his Malton boss Richard Fahey.

Chaloner rides Mo Henry in the opening 32Red Nursery Handicap and the juvenile is fancied to follow up his initial success at Wolverhampton. That win, on his third start, came over five furlongs, but the step up to six furlongs, over which he had previously finished a creditable third at Pontefract, will hold no problems for him.

The handicapper may not have done any great favours in giving Mo Henry an opening mark of 78, but he is a progressive sprinter and another win is on the cards.

Chaloner and Whitaker also team up with Rocky’s Pride in the Ladbrokes Mobile Handicap.

The eight-year-old, a previous course winner, has been running well lately, finishing a close-up third here last time and previously finishing placed on a couple of occasions at Kempton. He deserves to get his head in front again.

Beach Bar is an interesting runner in the featured £11,500 Ladbrokes Handicap.

Trained by William Knight and not seen out since the end of August, Beach Bar remains a horse of potential. He was a Haydock winner in June and, perhaps even more importantly to his prospects today, he won on this course last November. Provided he is fit enough to do himself justice after his four-month absence, Beach Bar should go well.

Ocean Boulevard promises to take all the beating in the Coral Maiden Stakes.

Unraced last year as a juvenile, the Luca Cumani-trained charge has finished third on both his starts to date, at Newbury on his debut over ten furlongs and on this course on his latest outing over a mile and a half when he started favourite and was beaten a length and a half.

Significantly, Cumani reverts Ocean Boulevard to a mile and a quarter this afternoon. It could be a winning move.

Rock Charm makes plenty of appeal in the coral.co.uk Handicap (division two).

The mount of Pat Cosgrave, who is bearing down on his 50th winner of the season, Rock Charm failed by only a nose to beat Overrider at Wolverhampton last time out. That was only his second outing on an artificial surface and he remains open to improvement. He is napped to go one better today for Newmarket trainer Stuart Williams.

With Haydock having been abandoned because of a frozen course, the only other action in Britain today is at Taunton, where the Totepool Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle, a £20,000 race with Listed status, takes pride of place.

Tara Point, officially the highest-rated runner in the line-up, will surely be a tough nut to crack. Trained by Paul Nicholls, and the winner of her only bumper start on this course last season, Tara Point made a successful hurdling bow at Exeter and has since finished a close-up third in a Grade 2 race at Sandown, won by Vyta Du Roc, who did the form no harm at all by being narrowly denied in Grade 1 company at Newbury yesterday.

Tara Point’s chances are likely to be reflected in the betting market, but she promises to justify likely favouritism.

Sophie Leech, who does well with her small string, has a fighting chance of a Taunton double, courtesy of Rolling Dough (1.00) and Olympian Boy (1.30), while also worthy of note is Pure Poteen (2.30).


Selections

Lingfield today
12.20 Mo Henry, 12.50 Sixties Love, 1.20 Ocean Boulevard, 1.50 Rocky’s Pride, 2.20 Beach Bar, 2.50 Chauvelin, 3.20 Moulin Rouge, 3.50 Rock Charm (NAP).

Taunton today
1.00 Rolling Dough, 1.30 Olympian Boy, 2.00 Kingfisher Creek, 2.30 Pure Poteen, 3.00 Tara Point, 3.30 Howlongisafoot, 4.00 Shot In The Dark.

Today’s other meeting at Haydock was abandoned.

Tomorrow’s meetings
Lingfield, Uttoxeter and Warwick.