MORE SIRENS should have the call in today's one-mile Anthony Fawcett Memorial Thirsk Hunt Cup.
A low draw is crucial at Thirsk on the round course, where the ability to save vital ground by hugging the inside rail on the sharp home turn is an absolute must.
It was a tactic used to perfection by John Carroll when the Paul Webber-trained filly collected a 0-80 event over track and trip a fortnight ago.
Carroll has bigger fish to fry at Newmarket aboard Ho Choi in the 2000 Guineas, leaving super-sub Royston Ffrench to step in on the fast-improving daughter of Night Shift.
More Sirens (4.05) has once again been drawn in stall two and I fully expect Ffrench and partner to blast out of the gates and brush aside their rivals with a pillar-to-post victory.
In the five-furlong Baldersby Handicap, look out for Attorney (2.25) in the 24-runner contest.
It'll be a right old-fashioned cavalry charge with the field spread all the way across the course. When viewing from the stands it's very hard to tell just who is in front, but at least Attorney should be easy to spot as jockey Graham Gibbons glues the partnership to the favoured far rail as they emerge from stall one.
Over at Haydock's mixed Flat and jumping fixture, Milligan bids to win the £55,000 Swinton Homes Hurdle for the second year in succession. Milligan has clearly been trained specially with the race in mind, although I just prefer the top-weight Intersky Falcon (1.45), cruelly denied by a never-say-die ride from Tony McCoy on Copeland at Sandown recently.
The stiff uphill climb at the Esher venue proved the undoing of Intersky Falcon, however on this much easier track the Polar Falcon gelding's superior speed should enable Liam Cooper to avenge the defeat.
In the following Merewood Homes Spring Trophy, it's basically the same scenario with Late Night Out (2.15) lining up to defend the silverware he took home 12 months ago.
With the bang-in-form Reel Buddy taking on the selection it is not going to be easy, nevertheless with Mick Jarvis's team really hitting top gear, Late Night Out has a great chance of making a winning comeback.
As usual quite a few horses trained in our region make their way to Hexham in search of some early jump-season prize money.
One deserving case is Chris Fairhurst's Warrlin (2.00) in the opening SCS Novices' Chase.
Warrlin, a fair sort of handicap hurdler in his time, has thus far failed to get his head in front over fences.
It's not for the want of trying and the eight-year-olds' consistency will surely finally be rewarded in the three-mile-and- one-furlong contest.
For tomorrow's nap selection I am relying on Ginner Morris (3.20) in the Tote Bookmakers Handicap at Hamilton.
It's a race confined to jump jockeys making a "guest" appearance on the Flat, which all adds to the fun of the fair.
But the reason for siding with Ginner Morris so strongly is his confirmed ability to handle heavy ground, somewhat of a rarity on the level at present.
Ginner Morris ran a cracker when runner-up at Pontefract on Wednesday and his trainer, James Hetherton, is also enjoying a purple patch at present.
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