Northern racing: Lewis Tomlinson updated and Timeform p horses

It shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise writing a column about racing in the North in the winter, but I feel as if so far as I’ve done as much talking about the weather as I have about racing.

Perhaps, for some, the cold spell briefly has provided a breather after the festive racing bonanza, but I find an all-weather only diet rather stodgy, so touch wood we’ll have some spicier National Hunt action to talk about this time next week.

Meetings at Newcastle and Musselburgh were lost - the latter given the axe just a couple of minutes before the first was due off - along with the North Yorkshire National card at Catterick, whilst Kelso are inspecting for their Sunday card and may go the same way as abandonments at Doncaster and Wetherby in the upcoming days.

My match on Sunday has already been called off and I’m drastically running out of ideas for other ways to keep myself occupied without racing or football, especially now that the darts has finished - Luke Littler, the most talented youngster in British sport? No. Sir Gino has only just gone five - so touch wood the worst of the weather will be behind us after the weekend.

The dearth of sport did give me another chance to make a journey up to Staithes on Saturday - for my money the most stunning village on the Yorkshire coast and home to a belting harbour pub in the Cod & Lobster. I mean this in the most complimentary way imaginable, but it’s nowhere near as upmarket as it looks from the outside; the first time I walked in I thought I was going to be absolutely fleeced, but it’s a proper warm, old-school local where everything is priced as it should be (£12 giant chicken parmo, five big booms). If you’re in Yorkshire or the North East, it’s worth making the trek this summer, a quick half-hour down the coast from Redcar if you fancied making it a double-header with an afternoon at the races.

Credit to has to go to Ayr providing us with some jumping in the North, the pick of their two meetings coming last Thursday, where both Stuart Crawford and Lucinda Russell landed doubles. The latter’s included another victory for WHISTLE STOP TOUR, with the seven-year-old producing another fluent round of jumping to take his record over fences to 2-3.

Previous columns mentioned parallels with this lad and One For Arthur at similar stages of their careers and the 33/1 available for the National Hunt Chase looks big given his clearly abundant stamina and already useful level of form, though I’ll probably wait to see if he’s given an entry to have a play. The Scottish National also seems unlikely to be too far from the back of connections’ minds.

The lack of racing this week means I’ve had plenty of time to catch up on performances that might have gone under the radar in such a busy period, so I’ll take the chance to take a deeper look at a sextet of Northern-trained horses retaining the all-important Timeform p after recent outings.

TOMMY COMBATS 102p (Martin Todhunter)

Steadily progressive despite failing to win over hurdles last season, the Martin Todhunter-trained Tommy Combats continued on an upward curve over fences this campaign and should have better still to come.

He was unfortunate to bump into Plaisir Des Flos in the midst of that one’s winning streak on his final outing over timber last year, but chasing was always likely to be his game (placed in an Irish point) and he made his second start over fences a winning one at Hexham last month.

He again shaped with plenty of encouragement when runner-up at Ayr on Monday, just unable to concede plenty of weight to a speedier winner around a less demanding track. Tommy Combats has been raced exclusively around 2m over fences so far, but his best hurdling form came at 2½m and there’s plenty of reason to believe he’ll prove better still once granted a greater test of stamina.

CAPTAIN BUTLER 113p (Pauline Robson)

Having taken three goes to get off the mark in Irish points, Captain Butler made no mistake at the first time of asking under Rules, getting the better of the now-130 rated Slugger in a Newcastle bumper in May 2023.

Handled with typical patience since by Pauline Robson, he defied a 20-month absence to make a successful transition to hurdling in an often-strong Kelso maiden, jumping with fluency to lead on the bridle approaching the last before being driven clear to record a 7½-length success.

He’s very much a chasing type and his future will lie over further than 2m – the Kelso race a definite test of stamina at the trip - so the polished nature of Captain Butler’s performance bodes particularly well, especially given that a handful of the maiden’s beaten horses maiden also caught the eye…

JEHOL DE THAIX 103p (Nicky Richards) and THAT ONE 102p (James Walton)

A lengthy Masked Marvel gelding, Jehol De Thaix almost made the perfect start in a Uttoxeter bumper in the summer, hitting the front inside the final 1f but proving a shade too green to seal the deal coming out on the wrong side of a photo finish. Making his hurdles bow after a 6-month absence, Jehol De Thaix impressed with his manner of travelling at Kelso and remained in contention until 2 out, eventually seeming caught out only for another change of gear in the closing stages but sticking to his task to cross the line in third. He’s worth viewing positively as a long-term prospect – similarly to Captain Butler, at this stage I’d wager he’ll prove at his best over fences – but there’ll be more to come from him as a hurdler in the interim

One place behind him in fourth was That One, who possesses a different sort of profile to his aforementioned rivals but is no less interesting which a switch to handicaps surely upcoming.

His most recent start was his fifth over hurdles and probably his most encouraging yet, dropped out by Conor O’Farrell before making a sweeping move to lead around the home bend, such rapid headway seeming to take its toll as he faded late on.

An opening mark of 105 looks more than workable and the suspicion remains that we won’t see the best of That One until he goes handicapping, now with plenty of experience under his belt and a real National Hunt pedigree (by Dartmouth out a Double Trigger mare) which suggests he’ll perhaps prove even more effective when tried beyond 2m. The Walton yard is nearing on 2 years without a winner, but That One could be the horse to snap that unwanted run.

NOT STAYING LONG 123p (Patrick Neville)

One of the key themes of the season in the North has been the return to form of the Patrick Neville yard. Neville moved to Yorkshire in 2021 after over a decade of training in his native Ireland, initially sharing facilities with Ann Duffield, before this summer taking control of the Brecongill yard near Middleham.

The switch in premises has clearly paid dividends for Neville; after an excellent 22/23 season, crowned by The Real Whacker’s Cheltenham Festival success, he saddled just 3 winners in 2023/24. The tally for this season, though, already stands at 11, with 6 of those coming from Neville’s last 20 runners.

Not Staying Long is responsible for 2 of those successes and she could well remain unbeaten over fences for some time yet given just how we’ll she’s adapted to the larger obstacles. The seven-year-old rejoined Neville in the summer having spent the previous season in the care of R. Mike Smith and could barely have produced a more comprehensive display at Catterick on her chase debut, going clear with the runner-up early on the final circuit and eventually putting another 20 lengths between herself and that rival in the straight.

She didn’t need to improve to defy a 10 lb rise over the same C&D 11 days later, eased down so heavily on the run-in that a double-figure margin became just 2½ lengths at the line, perhaps getting away a shade lightly with just another 5 lb added to her mark since.

Not Staying Long will be forced into a significantly higher grade when next seen but has the option of mares-only chases still to explore and will almost certainly be placed to canny effect by her trainer, perhaps even one to be working back from the valuable mares’ novice handicap at Cheltenham in April with.

BUST A MOVE 108p (Michael & David Easterby)

I can’t pretend that I was familiar with Peterhof, the winner of the Triumph Hurdle in 1975, until doing a bit of prep for this column, but it’s perhaps not too surprising that Mick Easterby’s most notable success over jumps came with a juvenile hurdler. It might be stretch to suggest Bust A Move might be anywhere near Triumph quality himself, but he looks an exciting hurdling prospect for the Easterbys on the back of a taking debut success at Catterick.

A son of Ribchester, Bust A Move had a peak BHA rating of 82 on the Flat, though failed to really kick on a from an encouraging comeback second at Doncaster in 3 subsequent outings last time. Nevertheless, he created a fine impression switched to timber last month (replay below), patiently ridden by Jamie Hamilton but making significant headway on the bridle in the straight before quickening to lead approaching the last, displaying a tidy turn of foot for one whose sole Flat win came on heavy ground.

The Catterick form has already been boosted with runner-up Hossaam, himself a borderline useful sort on the level for Owen Burrows, scoring at Wetherby the following week and Bust A Move should prove up to defying a penalty in a typical Northern juvenile event.

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