ALL eyes are on Cheltenham and the forthcoming Festival, not least because last year's event was missed due to foot-and-mouth. Several of our trainers have live chances and the past week has shown them to be in form.
Keeping faith with Tyneandthyneagain from our 12 to Follow has been tricky, but Norman Mason's seven-year-old landed the three-mile handicap hurdle at Doncaster on Saturday in impressive style under Richard Guest. The winner is now targeted at the Pertemps Final on Tuesday.
Mason has Red Striker entered in the William Hill National Hunt Chase that day, but also entered are Inn At The Top (Jim Turner), Robbo (Mary Reveley), Hindiana and Ackzo (both Ferdy Murphy). Mason's Red Ark disappointed at Doncaster on Saturday, but the day before Mason and Guest won with Nosam.
The Brancepeth team scored at Market Rasen on Monday with Emperor's Magic and at Catterick on Wednesday with two that the permit holder bred himself from the same mare, Mighty Fly. Ciaran Eddery partnered Red Rampage, while Guest was aboard Ulusaba.
Ferdy Murphy's Inching Closer won at Sedgefield on Tuesday in preparation for the Royal & Sun Alliance Novices' Hurdle on Wednesday. Also in that race is Malcolm Jefferson's Moss Harvey.
Murphy has Truckers Tavern in Tuesday's Irish Independent Arkle, but more eye-catching is Tim Easterby's Barton. Also entered is Brian Ellison's Batswing.
Mary Reveley has several Festival runners and we think Roveretto may do well in the Coral Eurobet Cup on Wednesday.
THE WEEK'S WINNERS
Friday. - Newbury: (hcp chs) Carrick Troop (trained by M Reveley, at Lingdale; owned by Major J C K Young), ridden by P Aspell.
Doncaster: (hcp chs) Stone Cold (T Easterby, Great Habton; Six Diamonds Partnership), D O'Meara; (nov chs) Belisario (M Easterby, Sheriff Hutton; Paul G Jacobs), R McGrath; (hcp hdl) Through The Rye (E Tuer, Great Smeaton; Grant Tuer), G Lee; (hcpo chs) Nosam (N Mason, Brancepeth; permit holder), R Guest; (mares NHf) Supreme Lass (G Moore, Middleham; Ean Muller), N Hannity.
Saturday. - Doncaster: (hcp chs) Skillwise (T Easterby; Chris D Calvert), D O'Meara; (hcp hdl) Tyneandthyneagain (TtF) (N Mason; Hb, N B Mason), R Guest; (NHf) Silver Knight (T Easterby; C H Stevens), D O'Meara.
Newbury: (nov hcp hdl) Maceo (M Reveley; Les de la Haye), P Aspell.
Wolverhampton AW: (8f) Dust To Dust (A Crook, Middleham; Jay Dee Bloodstock Ltd), N Chalmers; (6f hcp) Arnbi Dancer (P Haslam, Middleham; Brian Pearson), T Williams.
Monday. - Market Rasen: (nov chs) Scotmail Lad (G Moore; Gordon Brown/Bert Watson), R Garritty; (hcp hdl) Big Max (H Johnson, Crook; Peter Gormley), A Smith; (hcp chs) Emperor's Magic (N Mason; permit holder), R Guest; (NHf) Altareek (M Jefferson, Norton; Dean & Raymond Bostock), G Lee.
Tuesday. - Sedgefield: (hcp hdl) Inching Closer (F Murphy, West Witton; Mrs N L Spence), A Maguire; (cond sllr hcp hdl) Muhtadi (S Clark, Sutton-on-the-Forest; permit holder), P Whelan (no bid after); (amtr nov hdl) Native Aire (N Wilson, Painsthorpe; Mrs N C Wilson), Mrs N Wilson.
Wednesday. - Catterick: (nov hdl) Welsh Main (S Mangier, Langdale, Melsonby; Marcus Reeder), R Guest; (nov hcp chs) Red Rampage (N Mason; Hb, permit holder), Ciaran Eddery; (sllr hdl) Ulusaba (N Mason; Hb, permit holder), R Guest (no bid after); (mdn chs) Business Class (M Reveley; Ernie Fenwick), P Aspell; (hcp hdl) Captaintwothousand (C Fairhurst, Middleham; Mrs A M Leggett), N Hannity; (nov hunter chs) Wildfield Rufo (Kate Walton, Middleham; Mrs Col Holroyd), Mr Paul Robson; (NHf) Collier Hill (Alan Swinbank, Melsonby; R G Hall), Tom Doyle.
Lingfield AW: (16f appr hcp) Welsh Dream (P Haslam; Mrs B M Hawkins & Mrs C Barclay), Luke Fletcher; (12f clmr) White Plains (David Barron, Maunby; Nigel Shields), Darryll Holland.
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