Tony McFadden provides an overview of the key things to note on the racing front on Wednesday.
Three points of interest
Joseph O'Brien nursery runners worth close attention
Joseph O'Brien has fared really well with his runners in nurseries this year, sending out eight winners from 21 representatives at a remarkable strike rate of 38.1% for a level-stake profit of £32.
O'Brien's record in nurseries means his runners are entitled to close scrutiny and he has a couple of representatives in the six-furlong event (14:25) at Dundalk on Wednesday.
Neither Vanilla Baby nor Temps Leve have an obvious chance on Timeform's ratings, though both are making their handicap debut so are potentially open to some improvement. Temps Leve, in particular, looks interesting as she caught the eye when down the field at Navan last time, making progress inside the final furlong.
Skelton bidding to improve superb bumper strike rate
Dan Skelton performed respectably in bumpers with his debutants last season, sending out seven winners from 35 runners at a strike rate of 20%, which was a shade higher than his overall strike rate of around 19% last term.
However, Skelton has nearly matched that tally already this season, which suggests his bumper debutants may be fitter and more clued-up than previously.
Skelton has had six winners from his 18 bumper newcomers this season at an impressive strike rate of 33.3%, while it's also worth noting that only three of those runners have finished outside the first three. In fact, Skelton's 13 bumper debutants since July have all been third at worst.
Skelton is represented in Chepstow's bumper (16:05) by Choice Runner, a €95,000 purchase who is closely related to a once-useful sort in Mulcahys Hill.
Newcomers to note at Kempton
The Flat turf season may be drawing to a close at Doncaster on Saturday but the all-weather programme means there should still be a healthy supply of promising sorts introduced in coming months.
There are some leading yards and well-bred sorts represented in the two divisions of the fillies' maiden at Kempton. In the first division (14:50), Carlyle Square is a half-sister to July Cup winner Limato and is in excellent hands with William Haggas, while Majestere, a 175,000 guineas purchase in the care of Kevin Philippart de Foy, is out of a half-sister dual Arc winner Treve.
In the second division (15:25), Godolphin newcomer Romantic Opera takes the eye having fetched 500,000 guineas as a yearling, while Thaisa is a half-sister to multiple Group 2 winner Beat The Bank as well as a couple of smart sorts.
Timeform Tip of the Day
Hardy Bloke - 14:13 Nottingham
Flag: Horse In Focus
Hardy Bloke has been in good order on testing ground of late and produced his best effort for this stable when a decisive winner of a mile-and-three-quarter handicap here a couple of weeks ago. Hardy Bloke, sharpened by the application of a visor for the first time, was well suited by a proper test at the trip and stayed on well to pull a couple of lengths clear, impressing with his strength inside the final furlong. He had been runner-up over two and a quarter miles on his penultimate start and has won over three miles over hurdles, so he'll be suited by stepping back up in trip to two miles here. A 4 lb rise in the weights shouldn't prevent another bold bid.
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