Not just any Old Tat at Newcastle

TATLISU can leave the best until last by winning the finale tomorrow beneath Newcastle’s floodlights.

A strong, eight-runner field has been lured to the party for the Betway-sponsored six-furlong handicap, but Richard Fahey’s inmate is taken to seize the moment.

The gelded son of Red Clubs has not won since September 2015, but he has consequently slithered down the handicap.

Tatlisu is 12lb lower than when he last hit the back of the net, but his two most recent outings on the Newcastle Tapeta would suggest his time is near.

The eight-year-old twice finished fifth over course and distance, and in similar grade, but the manner in which he kept at it on both occasions was especially pleasing.

Moreover, he had never even competed on an all-weather track until two months ago so there is every chance there is a good deal more to come from him during the winter even in spite of his advancing years.

A previous winner of the Ayr Silver Cup, Tatlisu should never be dismissed lightly and could even be sent on his way at a fair old price. Go George Go looks hard to beat in the Betway Handicap.

The four-year-old grey is on a fourtimer over this course and distance, having most recently hosed up by six lengths on December 21.

Alan Swinbank’s representative has been thumped by the assessor, but he gets weight from all of his five runners at Gosforth Park and must surely have a wee bit more to give before his hot streak comes to an end.

Burnside proved his aptitude for two miles when second at Lingfield last month and looks to have been cherry-picked a most winnable opportunity in the Betway Stayers Handicap.

Oliver’s Gold is capable of winning a nice prize at Musselburgh. The nine-year-old has not won for well over a year, but he came mightily close at Doncaster on his last run in November.

Sent off an 11-2 chance for a strong two-mile handicap chase, Mark Walford’s inmate jumped really well under Jake Greenall.

Indeed, the garden looked decidedly rosy two fences from home, but, when push came to shove, he succumbed by just a neck to Festive Affair.

The form has not worked out at all well, sadly, but Oliver’s Gold is clearly in good heart and has only gone up 2lb for that brave performance.

He remains well handicapped on his best form and ought to have no issues with whatever Mother Nature throws at him ahead of the Kilmany Cup Handicap Chase.

Fattsota is a late addition to the National Hunt ranks but he is the one to follow in the racinguk.com/hd Maiden Hurdle. The nine-year-old was a classy performer on the Flat for Marco Botti before being sold last autumn to David O’Meara. (27) A Balding 9-5 ............................... D Probert (35) T D Barron 9-5 ................. P Makin (228) M Bell 9-5 ...................... L Steward (3) (39) J J Quinn 9-5 ............................ J Hart (17) Mrs A Duffield 9-5 .................. R Scott (5) (35) B Smart 9-0 ............................. C Beasley (18) D O’Meara 9-0 ........................... J Fanning (49) W Jarvis 9-0 ............ Josephine Gordon (18) R Fahey 9-0 .......................... T Hamilton BETTING: 6-4 Glorious Politics, 3 School Run, 8 Spinnaker Bay, 10 Miss Montes, Hart Stopper, 12 Bay Watch, 14 Life Won’t Wait, 16 Port Master, 25 Ventura Jazz.

11-4 Close up, headway over 1f out, ridden to join winner entering final furlong, ran on, just held, 2nd of 9, shd behind Six Strings at Newcastle 6f 2yo mdn stks (4) in Nov. 8-1 Tracked leader, challenged over 1f out, one pace, 3rd of 9, 2 1/4l behind Second Thought at Wolverhampton 6f 2yo mdn stks (5) in Dec. 8-1 Outpaced towards rear, never involved, last of 9, 5l behind Assassinate at Lingfield 5f 2yo hco 0-75 (5) pol in Nov. 11-2 Slowly away in rear, headway over 1f out, ridden and kept on one pace final furlong, 3rd of 6, 5l behind Prince Of Cool at Haydock 5f 2yo mdn (4) gf in May. 50-1 Dwelt in touch, effort over 1f out, no impression final furlong, 5th of 9, 7l behind Six Strings at Newcastle 6f 2yo mdn stks (4) in Nov. 10-1 Mid-division, ridden over 2f out, kept on one pace from over 1f out, 5th of 10, 8l behind Medahim at Kempton 6f 2yo mdn stks (5) pol in Dec.

40-1 Tracked leaders, ridden 2f out, faded inside final furlong, 7th of 14, 7l behind Native Soldier at Newcastle 7f 2yo mdn stks (5) in Nov.

12-1 Dwelt, towards rear, ridden halfway, never a factor, 5th of 9, 7l behind Spin Top at Lingfield 5f 2yo sell stks (6) pol in Dec. 33-1 Towards rear and outpaced, 7th of 9, 8l behind Second Thought at Wolverhampton 6f 2yo mdn stks (5) in Dec.

5-1 Tracked leaders, driven over 2f out, soon chased leader, ridden to lead narrowly entering final furlong, kept on, headed and no extra final 50 yards, 2nd of 8, 1 1/2l behind Aurora Gray at Lingfield 2m 3yo hcp 0-65 (6) pol in Dec. 8-1 Held up in rear, under pressure over 2f out, soon beaten, 7th of 9, 9l behind Stamford Raffles at Newcastle 2m hcp 0-85 (4) in Dec. 11-10fav In touch, chased leaders halfway, under pressure over 3f out, soon no impression, 4th of 6, 26l behind Fern Owl at Southwell 2m hcp 0-75 (5) fbs in Dec. 33-1 Mid-division, headway chasing leaders over 2f out, ridden 2f out, went 2nd inside final furlong, no chance with winner, 2nd of 12, 7l behind Medicine Hat at Wolverhampton 2m hcp (6) in Dec. 16-1 Mid-division, headway 3f out, ridden to challenge 2f out, kept on and every chance final furlong, held towards finish, 2nd of 14, 1 1/2l behind Shan Dun Na Ngall at Newcastle 2m hcp 0-60 (6) in Dec. 9-1 In touch main group, close up 6f out, effort 3f out, led over 2f out, headed over 1f out, soon ridden, no extra final furlong, 5th of 14, 5l behind Shan Dun Na Ngall at Newcastle 2m hcp 0-60 (6) in Dec. 7-1 Hampered start, held up towards rear, headway over 2f out, chased leaders over 1f out, faded final furlong, 5th of 9, 11l behind Airton at Newcastle 1m 4f hcp 0-70 (5) in Dec. 28-1 Slowly into stride, held up last, not clear run and switched left inside final furlong, stayed on, went never nearer 4th towards finish, 4th of 6, 9l behind Go George Go at Newcastle 1m 4f hcp 0-70 (5) in Dec. .

15-2 Dwelt held up in touch, ridden 2f out, headway entering final furlong, stayed on towards finish, 4th of 9, 1 3/4l behind Dream Love at Lingfield 1m 4f mdn stks (5) pol in Dec.

5-1 Tracked leaders on inside, switched left going well over 2f out, led over 1f out, ridden inside final furlong, headed and no extra final 50 yards, 2nd of 14, 1 1/4l behind Zabeel Star at Kempton 1m 2f hcp 0-70 (5) pol in Dec.

20-1 Tracked leader for 2f, chased leading pair until ridden inside final 2f, weakened over 1f out, last of 6, 10l behind Pacharana at Kempton 1m 4f flls hcp (3yo+) (5) pol in Aug. 4-1 In touch in rear, ridden over 1f out, kept on to go a never dangerous 3rd towards finish, 3rd of 6, 9l behind Vogueatti at Chelmsford City 1m 2f mdn stks (4) pol in Dec. 12-1 Held up behind, weakened from 5th, 5th of 10, 44l behind Jimmie Brown at Wetherby 2m 4yo nov stks (4) gd in Apr ‘13. 11-1 Raced wide in touch, ridden and headway over 1f out, one pace final furlong, 6th of 13, 3 1/2l behind Thello at Newcastle 1m 2f hcp 0-60 (6) in Dec.

4-6fav Raced keenly, tracked leader, led over 2f out, pushed readily clear over 1f out, stayed on strongly, eased towards finish, won at Newcastle 1m 4f hcp 0-70 (5) in Dec beating Henpecked by 6l, 6 ran. 9-4 Tracked leaders, ridden and headway over 1f out, soon challenged, stayed on to lead towards finish, won at Lingfield 1m 4f hcp (6) pol in Dec beating My Matador by 1/2l, 11 ran. 11-4 Raced keenly, tracked leading pair, pushed along over 3f out, ridden and went 2nd over 1f out, no chance with winner, 2nd of 6, 6l behind Go George Go at Newcastle 1m 4f hcp 0-70 (5) in Dec. 16-1 Reared start and very slowly away in rear, headway 2f out, ridden and no impression towards finish, 6th of 13, 2 1/4l behind Heart Locket at Newcastle 1m 4f hcp 0-75 (5) in Nov.

7-2fav Mid-division on outside, some headway over 2f out, soon ridden, never on terms, weakened final furlong, 9th of 18, 17l behind Highway Code at Doncaster 1m 4f am hcp (4yo+) (5) gs in Mar ‘15.. SWISS CROSS (6) P McEntee 10 9-11 (D3) ....... C Shepherd (3) LIKE NO OTHER (19) J L Eyre 4 9-7 (CD) ......................... J Hart DUTCH ART DEALER (179) I Furtado 6 9-7 (D2)L Edmunds (7) MERDON CASTLE (14) Mrs R Carr 5 9-7 ................ J P Sullivan FINGAL’S CAVE (19) I Jardine 5 9-6 (D4) .............. P McDonald ROLLER (13) M W Easterby 4 9-4 (C) ............ Nathan Evans (3) INAAM (12) R Fahey 4 9-2 (CD) ................................... D Nolan TELLOVOI (12) R C Guest 9 9-1 (D2) ......................... D Costello JACQUOTTE DELAHAYE (25) D Brown 6 9-1 (D2) ........ T Eaves JUBILEE BRIG (25) G Swinbank 7 8-13 (D) .............. J Fanning EXTORTION (21) B Smart 4 8-12 ............................. C Beasley PLAYTOTHEWHISTLE (123) M Appleby 6 8-11 (BF, D)L Morris BETTING: 7-2 Playtothewhistle, 5 Roller, 6 Inaam, 7 Like No Other, 8 Swiss Cross, 10 Dutch Art Dealer, Tellovoi, 12 Jacquotte Delahaye, 14 Others.

11-4fav Chased leaders, headway 3f out, led 2f out, ridden and headed narrowly over 1f out, kept on and every chance final furlong, just held, 2nd of 8, hd behind Zeshov at Musselburgh 1m hcp 0-70 (5) gf in Sep. 11-4 Raced keenly, tracked leader, led over 2f out, pushed clear final furlong, readily, won at Newcastle 1m mdn stks (5) in Dec beating Singapore Sling by 2l, 7 ran. 10-1 Keen, in touch, in rear, ridden over 1f out, headway inside final furlong, went 3rd near finish, 3rd of 8, 1 1/2l behind Tellovoi at Chelmsford City 1m hcp 0-80 (4) pol in Dec.

33-1 Prominent, every chance from over 2f out, kept on well final furlong, 2nd of 13, 3/4l behind Al Khan at Newcastle 7f hcp 0-85 (4) in Dec.

8-1 Towards rear, headway over 1f out, ridden and ran on to lead final strides, won at Lingfield 6f hcp 0-80 (4) pol in Dec beating Gung Ho Jack by ns, 11 ran. 7-1 Steadied start, held up in rear, headway edging left when badly hampered over 1f out, edged left and ran on well in closing stages, not recover, 5th of 10, 3 1/2l behind Lyfka at Chepstow 7f hcp 0-85 (4) gd in Jul. 16-1 Tracked leaders, ridden 2f out, driven and stayed on to lead towards finish, won at Chelmsford City 1m hcp 0-80 (4) pol in Dec beating Street Duel by shd, 8 ran.

7-1 Behind, outpaced 3f out, ridden and kept on inside final furlong, never reached leaders, 5th of 11, 7l behind Inaam at Newcastle 7f hcp 0-75 (5) in Dec. 8-1 Slowly into stride, mid-division, headway over 2f out, chased leaders over 1f out, never on terms, 9th of 13, 5l behind Al Khan at Newcastle 7f hcp 0-85 (4) in Dec. 16-1 Mid-division, under pressure over 3f out, weakened over 2f out, 10th of 11, 13l behind Bring On A Spinner at Southwell 6f hcp 0-75 (5) fbs in Dec.

33-1 Prominent, ridden over 2f out, kept on same pace, lost place 1f out, gradually weakened inside final furlong, 6th of 11, 8l behind Inaam at Newcastle 7f hcp 0-75 (5) in Dec. 66-1 Slowly into stride, in rear, never on terms, 13th of 14, 16l behind Mithqaal at Southwell 7f hcp 0-90 (3) fbs in Dec. (8) P McEntee 6 9-9 (D5) ....... Josephine Gordon (4) M Appleby 7 9-7 (D2) ..................... T Eaves (47) A Balding 8 9-6 (D4) ............... D Probert (47) B Smart 6 9-6 (D5) ............................ C Beasley (18)MHerrington59-3(CD) ....... RWinston (4) R Fahey 7 8-12 (CD) ............................ T Hamilton (214) R Fahey 5 8-9 (D3) .. Natalie Hambling (7) (24) K Dalgleish 7 8-9 (D4) .......... A Mullen BETTING: 10-3 Poyle Vinnie, 4 Gentlemen, 5 Doc Sportello, 6 Red Pike, Luis Vaz De Torres, 8 Intransigent, Tatlisu, 14 Salvatore Fury.

11-1 Prominent, led 1f out, kept on and headed towards finish, 2nd of 11, nk behind Amazour at Newcastle 6f hcp 0-95 (3) in Dec. 8-1 Chased leaders, pushed along 2f out, ridden and outpaced over 1f out, stayed on same pace, went 3rd near finish, 3rd of 6, 4l behind Spring Loaded at Wolverhampton 6f stks (3yo+) (2) in Dec. 66-1 Prominent, pulled hard, led over 2f out, ran on well, won at Newcastle 6f clm stks (6) in Dec beating Intibaah by 2 1/2l, 7 ran. 18-1 Tracked leaders, chased leader over 2f out, ridden to lead inside final furlong, ran on, won at Catterick 6f hcp 0-85 (4) gf in Jun beating Best Trip by 1l, 11 ran.

FIXTURES TOMORROW: Bangor, Musselburgh, NEWCASTLE. WEDNESDAY: Hereford, LINGFIELD, NEWCASTLE, WOLVERHAMPTON. THURSDAY: *CHELMSFORD CITY, LINGFIELD, SOUTHWELL, WOLVERHAMPTON. FRIDAY: KEMPTON, Ludlow, Wetherby, *WOLVERHAMPTON. SATURDAY: LINGFIELD, Newcastle, Sandown, Wincanton, *WOLVERHAMPTON. SUNDAY: Chepstow, Fontwell, Naas. LIZZIE KELLY was seen to great effect as Agrapart rallied to nail L’Ami Serge in the Dornan Engineering Relkeel Hurdle at Cheltenham.

Winner of the Betfair Hurdle last season, the six-year-old sat just behind Cole Harden for much of the two-and-a-half-mile contest.

Kelly must have thought it was going to be easy as she cruised into the lead just into the home straight, but Daryl Jacob was going even better on the 2-1 favourite L’Ami Serge.

He went two lengths clear at one point, but the famous hill claimed yet another victim as Kelly galvanised Agrapart (16-1) to give the only female to have recorded a Grade One victory in Britain another notable success.

It has been a rather quiet spell for Kelly’s step-father and trainer Nick Williams, but the pair have started 2017 in the best fashion with a double after Coo Star Sivola’s success earlier on the card.

Kelly, riding just her third winner of the season, told ITV Racing: “I made the decision to go back home, we’ve got a lot of good horses and we just needed a bit of luck - today we’ve had it.

“This horse is a legend, I knew he had a great shout, we came in quietly at 16-1 but the way he won the Betfair I knew he’d stay further and it’s rained all day, which was always going to suit him.

“We’d like to think he might stay three miles, maybe the Stayers’ Hurdle, you never know. It’s been a tough season and I’m just glad we’ve come here today and the hard work of everyone has paid off.”

Williams said: “I don’t know where we go next, he’s very much ground dependent as all his wins have been on heavy.

“The reason we came here was to see if we could step him up for the World (Stayers’) Hurdle.

“I think he’s a stayer on good to soft ground, we’ll probably go up in trip, he won’t go backwards in trip and we’ll point towards the Stayers’ Hurdle.”