Northern racing round-up: Lewis Tomlinson on what's coming up and his horses to follow this week

Del Boy falling through the bar; Neil Sutherland punching a fish to death; Evan Williams being asked about a 75-rated maiden hurdler.

Strong contenders for the best pieces of comedy timing ever seen on British television, the Welsh trainer’s interview before Owl Of Athens landed a generational gamble at Uttoxeter on Saturday afternoon was closer to that of Fawlty Tower’s Manuel than any other sitcom great.

“I know nothing.”

Glare at Andrew Thornton, deny the horse has ability and talk up his 50/1 shot in the same race. Set almost beautifully as a B-plot to the near-farcical PRA row, I don’t think even the lads behind peak Simpsons could have put together a more enjoyable performance than Evan. Unreal.

Peter Savill’s splinter group have abandoned their plans to boycott interviews for the upcoming weekend and a typically balanced piece from John Berry for the TDN explained well that the outright aims of the PRA are nowhere near as heavy-handed as the initial furore suggested, so we’re no closer to seeing Pro Evo style pseudonyms appear in the racecards – but what a good laugh we’ve had over the last couple of days.

But I repeat and repeat. Racing is the funniest sport in the world.

WHAT'S HAPPENED

I was at Cheltenham at the weekend for another highly enjoyable Trials Day, which, though always lean from a punting point of view, is one of my favourite days to go racing in the year. There's something quite peaceful and plesant about being in a cauldron before the fire has been lit, East India Dock and Constitution Hill producing winning efforts to smile at rather than scream home, though I probably would have been doing a fair bit of screaming - for various reasons - had I backed Moon D'Orange.

Our pal WHISTLE STOP TOUR, who perhaps unsurprisingly played only a minor role down in trip when fifth in the Timeform Novices' Chase. A means to an end, perhaps, this outing his fourth over fences and qualifying him for open Cheltenham Festival handicaps.

Two days on Town Moor provided the pick of the action up North, with a couple of promising youngsters doing no harm to their reputations on Friday; GEORGE'S LAD hard held when landing the odds in the opening maiden before MEETMEBYTHESEA maintained his unbeaten record in a stop-start novice hurdle.

The feature of the jumping season at Doncaster, the Great Yorkshire Chase, produced a dramatic finish for the second year running, WALKING ON AIR having just edged ahead when coming down at the last, leaving the door open for Richard Hobson's DOCPICKEDME to score in South Yorkshire for the third time.

Though operating with a smaller string than most of the leading yards, Hobson has only enhanced his reputation as one of the most competent target trainers in the sport this season; he's sent out only thirty runners since the start of October, but has bagged three high-profile staying handicaps, Docpickedme's success here compliment Some Scope's Rowland Meyrick success and Saint Xavier's win in the Last Fling, all coming in the hands of the useful 5lb claimer Charlie Maggs. Rather remarkably, those three successes represent Maggs’ only rides for the yard, netting £99k worth of prize money for the yard at a level-stakes profit of +20.50, such a productive trainer-jockey combination surely worth looking out for the next time Hobson & Maggs team up.

Of course, the Doc could have picked have barely a more suitable rival to have been in pursuit than perennial runner-up THE CHANGING MAN, but he seems a more reliable conveyance at Donny than he does elsewhere and a return to the track in a couple of weeks from the Grimthorpe looks the obvious next step. Walking On Air is a harder type to get a grasp on; he wasn't sold for peanuts from Nicky Henderson's yard in the summer but looked completely gone at the game on his first three starts for Gary Brown. I'll remain on the fence for the time being as to whether this effort represents a rejuvenated chaser or a flash in the pan, but he did give close a stone to Henry's Friend when beaten a neck by that rival on chase debut, that form particularly eye-catching for anyone willing to pin their colours to his mast.

A frantic gallop played into the hands of my one-time cliff horse PETIT TONNERRE, who capitalised on a career-low mark to score for the first time since his British debut to take the 2m handicap chase, though I'd be inclined to be more positive about the prospects of beaten pair GENERAL MEDRANO and CALICO heading into the spring, both shaping as if on competitive marks after being caught in the heat of the battle too far from home.

The River Don Novices' Hurdle - the first of the staying Grade 2s on the card - seldom has much an impact at the top level and the best price of 66/1 for the winner YELLOW CAR to follow up in the Albert Bartlett gives fair reflection of the standard of this year's renewal, his limitations seemingly exposed when beaten into at Cheltenham last month.

Half an hour later, Irish raider JETARA outstayed KATEIRA to win the Yorkshire Rose Mares' Hurdle, Dan Skelton’s mare hitting 1.22 on the Betfair Exchange when looming up before the last but again not quite fully convincing with her stamina for 3m. There remains an itch to scratch with Kateira and I'd be particularly keen to see her revert to handicapping, her defeat of Jango Baie at last year's National meeting only her second start in such company, the environs of a bigger field probably more suitable for one who can border on headstrong at times compared to the smaller-field Pattern races she's contested this term.

For all she's not had too much racing on undulating tracks, her current mark of 145 looks workable enough and she'd be on my shortlist for the Coral Cup if heading to Cheltenham. If we only had the budget to ask her trainer a question...

WHAT’S HAPPENING?

Musselburgh’s two-day Scottish Cheltenham Trials meeting should prove as informative as ever, and the opening listed juvenile hurdle sees Harry Derham unleash a very exciting prospect in MAITRE EN SCIENCE. Formerly trained by Mickael Seror, the Master’s Spirit gelding got the better of subsequent Grade 1-winner Lafayette when last seen at Clairefontaine in September and would surely book his Triumph Hurdle spot with a win.

AFADIL is favourite to win the Scottish County Hurdle for the second successive year, before twelve go to post in the £51k Scottish Champion Chase. THE KALOOKI KID is a justifiably short price after his professional defeat of Bucksy Des Epieres – a horse I rate quite highly – at Donny last month, but at the prices, I’d remain keen on SAINT SEGAL, who finally produced the level of performance he'd long threatened when snapping a lengthy losing run at Newbury prior to Christmas. Jane Williams’ produced a more fluent round of jumping than is often the case under a switch to aggressive front-running tactics and I’d be hopeful he’ll be able to get himself into such a fine rhythm again, the sharp track likely to suit one with plenty of raw pace despite this more competitive environment.

BOOMSLANG had also been high on my shortlist for the Scottish Champion Chase after winning the Auld Reekie over the same C&D on New Year’s Day, but he instead has been declared back up at 3m in the handicap chase at 3.57. Rebecca Menzies’ eight-year-old has been one of the most progressive animals in the North this season and another 7 lb rise shouldn’t get in the way of him record

He also holds an entry for the Frodon Novices’ Chase on Sunday, a race which could prove the most competitive of the weekend. ASTA LA PASTA could do with learning to settle a bit better but has stepped forward with each run over fences and sets a good standard, the form of his second to Leader In The Park on Boxing Day has already been franked, with EL RIO, third in that Kempton contest and last weeks Ayr winner EL ELEFANTE amongst the potential opposition.

For Edinburgh National top-weights KING TURGEON and SURREY QUEST, it’s very much a case of now-or-never regarding their potential participation in the big one itself at Aintree. The pair - currently rated 140 and 139 respectively – featured amongst this week’s entries for the Grand National (a shameless plug to discuss those entries further here) and will almost certainly need to another win to give themselves any chance of making the now 34-strong field in April.

There are a couple of runners I’ll also be keeping an eye on at Wetherby on Saturday. KELYA WOOD found only the highly-promising Holloway Queen too strong at Haydock last time and drops back in grade in their opener, but I’d have most interest on the card in Harry Derham’s NO NO TANGO, who goes in the 2.08.

Still reasonably lightly raced for an eight-year-old, he made light of a 13-month absence to make a winning debut for Derham at Wincanton in December, jumping and travelling with plenty of verve to get the better of next-time-out winner Hunter Legend a shade cosily. Though his jumping didn’t come up to the same standard last time, he seemed unsettled by being unable to lead and should face less competition for the early pace here, so I’d be happy to chance him again from a mark of 116.

I’m also looking forward to seeing the Coltherd’s promising novice chaser COLD SOBAR at Carlisle on Monday, whilst JOSHUA DES FLOS, who got the better of Myretown in a maiden hurdle last season when trained by Stuart Crawford, is one I retain faith in despite an underwhelming start over fences last time.

Published at 1730 GMT on 30/01/25

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