Verne Castle looks hard to beat in sprint at Lingfield
– There is every chance Verne Castle can get back on the winning trail in the Betway Heed Your Hunch Handicap at Lingfield today.
Michael Wigham's speedster has won twice over the minimum distance at this venue and also has a couple of placed efforts to his credit from six course appearances overall. The five-yearold returns to the Surrey circuit in fine form having registered successive wins at Chelmsford in August and September before finishing third on his return from over a month off the track at Wolverhampton.
It would be easy to assume the handicapper has caught up with Verne Castle but there was absolutely nothing wrong with that latest performance as he was conceding upwards of 7kg to the
London
two horses that finished in front of him, and the runner-up, Captain Lars, has won since.
The assessor has kindly dropped Wigham's charge 0.5kg ahead of his latest assignment and back on a track he clearly enjoys, he should prove hard to beat.
Rebecca Menzies has her string in fine form under both codes and could add to her tally with Dragon Mall in the #betyourway At Betway Handicap. The five-year-old was rated as high as 106 a couple of years ago and was winning a novice event at Chelmsford off a mark of 98 as recently as February of this year.
He was not beaten far in the Lincoln Trial at Wolverhampton the following month on what proved to be his final start for David Simcock and it is a shade surprising that he changed hands during the summer for the bargain-basement price of 4,500 guineas.
His first start for new connections in a Listed event at Kempton last month was nothing to write home about, but he was always going to up against it at that level and he is of definite interest as he returns to the handicap arena from a perch of 91.
Society Star can make it third time lucky for Robert Cowell in the Ladbrokes Home Of The Odds Boost Novice Stakes. The daughter of Society Rock stepped forward from her racecourse debut when fourth at Windsor to finish third on her first start on the allweather at Wolverhampton.
A similar level of improvement should see her make her presence felt in this event.
Wood Pigeon rates the best bet at Fakenham as he bids to make a successful reappearance in the Injured Jockeys' Fund For Christmas Presents Handicap Chase. The Olly Murphy-trained nineyear-old bolted up here in heavy ground in January and further advertised his liking of the track when a close-up second on his return in March.
He finished out with the washing on his final outing of the campaign at Hereford, but that was at the end of a long season and the upside is he has been dropped 1kg to a mark of 101 - just 2kg higher than when winning here earlier in the year.
He has obvious claims if fit enough to do himself justice after a near eight-month absence.
Dawnieriver can complete her hat-trick in the toals.com Mares' Handicap Chase at Southwell.
Michael Scudamore's charge is a course and distance winner and returns at the top of her game following November wins at Newcastle and Fakenham.
She has been raised to a mark of 104 - but won off 108 at the Nottinghamshire circuit last year so she is by no means badly handicapped. –