PENNY PICTURES is strongly fancied to get punters off to a flyer in the opener at Catterick this afternoon where racing resumes following an enforced five-month break due to the foot-and-mouth restrictions.

The selection sports the well-known white and blue spotted colours of leading northern owner David Abell, a long-standing patron of Mark Johnston's stable. Former Abell stars include the post-war record-breaking mare Branston Abby, winner of 24 races in all.

At the other end of the scale, Penny Pictures (2.15) has yet to get off the mark, although if his latest close third to the highly rated Mr Sandancer at Newcastle is anything to go by, the stocky son of Theatrical will soon shed his maiden tag.

Lunch Party bids to win the Betabet Handicap for the second year in succession from stall 18. It's still a mystery to me just how he managed to prevail from such a disadvantageous wide draw and the odds of pulling it off again must be remote.

Of those amongst the low berths, the former track and trip scorer Secret Conquest (3.45) makes plenty of appeal.

She's remains well-handicapped off a mark of 54 considering her rating a couple of years ago was in the high 70's.

In the closing five furlong dash, Sotonian (4.45) is also nicely-weighted. Paul Felgate's speedster bounced back to form by finishing runner-up to Leaping Charlie at Beverley.

And it was an outing all the more astonishing in view of his appalling draw out in the cheap seats from stall number four.

Bath hosts the day's most valuable contest, the £10,000 one mile Showcase Handicap sponsored by the Tote. It's a very tight event and a large horse blanket may well cover the first six home. The one I believe has the edge is Guilsborough (3.00), most unlucky in running when chasing home Daryabad at Leicester in June.

On that occasion Guilsborough might as well have been travelling on the nearby MI, such was the traffic congestion he encountered throughout the final two furlongs. Given a clearer passage today, Paul Eddery's partner has the requisite finishing speed to cut down his rivals at the business end of the race.

Eddery could also be in the money aboard Kingsade (4.00) in the Renault Westwood Handicap.

She began her short career to date by finishing a distant third to Lailani in a maiden at Windsor way back in April.

The latter has since proved herself to be one of the most improved horses in training, bagging the Group 1 Irish Oaks as well as the Nassau Stakes at Glorious Goodwood.

Kingsade's progression has been light years from that sort of progress; nevertheless the three-year-old filly has at least not been harshly-treated for her handicap debut.