First Past the post

DISTANT PAST can back up his recent Newcastle verdict with victory at Chelmsford.

The six-year-old landed a gamble when winning at Gosforth Park before Christmas, clearly appreciating the drop back to five furlongs after running over six furlongs of late.

He was a winner over the minimum trip at Leicester last September but failed to make his mark in six subsequent outings before tackling a race very similar to this one.

Distant Past was sharply away and led from start to finish, which seemed to suit him, and while he has been hiked 5lb in the ratings, he should shine again if allowed to dominate in the totequadpot Four Places In Four Races Handicap .

Shypen ran a fair bit better than the official result suggests last time and is worth supporting in the totepool Betting On All UK Racing Handicap.

Richard Fahey’s charge was beaten just over two lengths in fourth by El Viento at this track in mid-December, but she shaped with much more promise than that as things really did not go her way at all.

That comment also applied to her previous run when second at Lingfield so it would be fair to say she is in good heart at present and must be thereabouts off an unchanged mark of 81.

Verne Castle is on quite a roll at the moment and can extend his unbeaten streak to four in the Betway Handicap at Wolverhampton.

Andrew Balding’s charge runs in the colours of Jeff Smith and hails from the family of his great sprinter Lochsong, so it has been no surprise to see him really shine at the minimum trip.

The four-year-old took 10 attempts before finally getting off the mark at Chelmsford in August and he has not looked back since, triumphing twice more over five furlongs at the Essex venue.

He began his winning streak off a mark of 67 so will obviously be facing a tougher task off his elevated perch of 81, but he rose to the challenge from a bad draw last time and can do the same again here.

Remember The Man is an interesting contender in the Betway Marathon Handicap as he makes his British bow for Ralph Beckett.

Formerly trained in France by Alain de Royer-Dupre, Remember The Man failed to make an impact in five starts last year but looks the type who could do well over this kind of trip judged on his pedigree.

Stonecoldsoba was not seen at his best last time but can redeem himself in the Betway Handicap at Southwell.

He took a keen hold at Wolverhampton before fading in the finish, so a more restrained game plan should see him bounce back here.

Captain Chaos found Politologue much too good on his seasonal reappearance but should find the Injured Jockeys Fund Novices’ Chase at Lingfield eminently more winnable.

Grade Two-placed a novice hurdler, it is easy to understand why Dan Skelton took the plunge and pitched him into a race of that level on his first try over fences. CALL OUT LOUD (30) M Appleby 5 9-8 (D2) .... A Rawlinson (3) ESSENAITCH (3) P Evans 4 9-8 (CD) ............................ D Nolan MR MORSE (23) B Ellison 4 9-7 (C) .............................. D Swift ALPHA TAURI (23) C Smith 11 9-7 (CD7) ................... J Haynes UNNOTICED (15) O Pears 5 9-6 (D) ......................... RWinston KAFEEL (14) Mrs L Jewell 6 9-5 (D) ............................. L Keniry BLACK HAMBLETON (234) B Smart 4 9-5 .............. C Beasley SECRET GLANCE (23) R Rowe 5 9-4 (D) ................ A Beschizza BAILEYS PURSUIT (26) Miss G Kelleway 5 9-3 (BF) .... L Morris CASCADING STARS (23) D Loughnane 5 9-3 (D) ..... J Fanning JUSTICE PLEASING (20) Roger Fell 4 8-12 (D)B Sanderson (7) TASAABOQ (7) P McEntee 6 8-10 .................... C Shepherd (3) AUTUMN TONIC (7) T D Barron 5 8-8 ....................... A Mullen BETTING: 9-2 Mr Morse, 6 Baileys Pursuit, 7 Justice Pleasing, 8 Unnoticed, Tasaaboq, Essenaitch, 10 Call Out Loud, 12 Cascading Stars, Autumn Tonic, Alpha Tauri, 14 Others. (14) Mrs I G-Leveque 4 9-9 ......................... L Morris (21) J J Quinn 4 9-8 ............................... J Hart (17) I Furtado 4 9-7 ..................................... D Nolan (10) Jennie Candlish 5 9-4 ......... J Fanning (4) P McEntee 4 9-2 ............... C Shepherd (3) (19) R Hughes 4 9-1 .Stephen Cummins (7) (4) C Smith 12 8-13 (CD13) ............ J Haynes (16) S Dixon 4 8-11 (CD) ....................... K O’Neill (7)SBowring108-8(CD3)...RPWalsh(7) (7) M Appleby 5 8-7 BETTING: 11-4 Playful Dude, 5 General Tufto, 11-2 Star Ascending, 6 Einstein, 7 Catastrophe, 8 Desert Chief, 12 Master Of Song, 16 Hangman Jury, Rupert Boy, 20 Swiftee. 11-4 Led, hung right under pressure when headed over 1f out, no extra closing stages, 2nd of 12, 1/2l behind Shearian at Southwell 1m hcp 0-60 (6) fbs. 10-1 Mid-division, headway over 2f out, chased leaders over 1f out, never able to challenge, 3rd of 12, 1 1/2l behind Shearian at Southwell 1m hcp 0-60 (6) fbs. 12-1 Led after 1f, strongly challenged over 1f out, headed inside final furlong, faded, 4th of 11, 4 1/2l behind My Mistress at Wolverhampton 1m 1f hcp 0-60 (6) in Dec. 14-1 Raced wide, close up, ridden to chase clear leading pair over 1f out, no extra and lost 3rd towards finish, 4th of 6, 9l behind Vogueatti at Chelmsford City 1m 2f mdn stks (4) pol in Dec. 9-2 Held up in mid-division, struggling over 2f out, 9th of 12, 10l behind Skidby Mill at Chelmsford City 1m hcp (6) pol in Dec. 8-1 Slowly into stride, outpaced in rear, headway over 1f out, never nearer, 9th of 12, 3 1/2l behind Clever Divya at Southwell 6f stks 0-55 (6) fbs in Dec. (23) L Mullaney 4 9-9 (CD)Nathan Evans (3) 69 (4) S Bowring 7 9-7 (D) ............. K Lundie (7) 68 (23)CDore59-4(D) ..................................... JFanning 63 (3) D Shaw 4 9-2 ..................... T Hamilton 63 (4) P Evans 4 9-1 .................................... A Mullen 55 (4) Miss J Feilden 5 9-1 (CD)Shelley Birkett (3) 66 (93) J Hughes 5 8-11 ........ Irineu Goncalves 43 (6) Roger Fell 4 8-10 .... B Sanderson (7) 56 (70) A Carroll 7 8-7 (D) .................................. J Haynes 52 BETTING: 3 Samphire Coast, 7-2 Powered, 5 Limerick Lord, 7 Little Choosey, 8 Arcane Dancer, 10 Angel Of Light, Spryt, 12 Secret Interlude, 20 Zeteah. 12-1 In rear, headway and edged left 2f out, kept on final furlong, went 4th towards finish, 4th of 13, 1 1/4l behind Essenaitch at Southwell 7f hcp 0-60 (6) fbs. 7-1 Slowly into stride, held up, headway over 3f out, chased leaders over 2f out, kept on same pace final furlong, 4th of 12, 1 3/4l behind Shearian at Southwell 1m hcp 0-60 (6) fbs. 15-2 Tracked leader, driven to challenge over 2f out, weakened approaching final furlong, 5th of 12, 5l behind Shearian at Southwell 1m hcp 0-60 (6) fbs. 25-1 Held up, headway over 1f out, never on terms, 6th of 12, 11l behind Shearian at Southwell 1m hcp 0-60 (6) fbs. 14-1 Chased leaders effort over 2f out, never a threat, 4th of 8, 4l behind Stosur at Southwell 1m fll hcp 0-80 (4) fbs in Dec. 66-1 Tracked leaders, ridden and weakened over 1f out,, 8th of 13, 14l behind Mazaz at Kempton 1m 4f mdn stks (5) pol in Oct. 25-1 Chased leaders, effort well over 1f out, kept on same pace, 7th of 10, 11l behind Custard The Dragon at Southwell 7f hcp (6) fbs in Dec. 40-1 In rear, ridden over 2f out, never dangerous, 7th of 14, 6l behind Great Colaci at Newcastle 7f hcp (6) in Dec. (7) M Blake 8 10-2 (C) ........................ M Godwin (5) (26)MissMRowland89-11(D) ............ KO’Neill (7) I Furtado 5 9-11 .................... D Nolan (16) G Swinbank 6 9-10 (C, D) ............. J Fanning (7) M Chapman 7 9-8 ............... Phil Dennis (5) (26) P Evans 4 9-7 (BF, D) ............ A Mullen (26) J J Quinn 6 9-3 (BF, D) ........................... J Hart (14) M Appleby 4 8-7 ................................... L Morris (16) Dave Roberts 4 8-6 ............ A Beschizza (21) K Dalgleish 4 8-6 .................. J Haynes (7) Mike Murphy 4 8-6 .............................. C Beasley BETTING: 3 Bridey’s Lettuce, 5 Mackiri, 11-2 Stonecoldsoba, 6 Miss Tree, 7 Paladin, 8 Miss Macchiato, 10 Ralphy Lad, 12 Port Lairge, 20 Others.

7-1 Mid-division, pushed along over 2f out, headway over 1f out, ran on inside final furlong, edged left towards finish, led post, won at Chelmsford City 7f hcp 0-75 (5) pol in Dec beating Rebel Lightning by ns, 8 ran.

25-1 Slowly into stride, held up, towards rear, some headway on inside over 1f out, never dangerous, 6th of 12, 4 1/2l behind Chester Street at Chelmsford City 1m hcp (2) pol in Dec. 10-1 Prominent, ridden over 2f out, kept on same pace final furlong, 6th of 17, 5l behind My Dad Syd at Newbury 7f hcp 0-80 (4) gs in Oct. 7-1 Dwelt, towards rear, pushed along over 3f out, eased over 1f out, 7th of 8, well behind Firmament at Chelmsford City 1m hcp 0-95 (3) pol in Aug. 8-1 Held up, ridden and headway over 1f out, nearest finish, 6th of 14, 6l behind Mithqaal at Southwell 7f hcp 0-90 (3) fbs in Dec. 7-1 In touch in 4th, ridden 2f out, kept on same pace, 5th of 6, 5l behind Salieris Mass at Ripon 1m 1f hcp 0-90 (3) gd in Jun. (8) B Millman 6 10-0 (CD) ....................... R Tate (29) S Kirk 5 9-12 (C) ..................... M Godwin (5) (18)IWilliams89-10 ...................... RWinston (36) S Lycett 7 9-8 ...................... J Fanning (20) M W Easterby 6 9-6 (D2) ....... Nathan Evans (3) (16) M Appleby 4 9-3 ................... L Morris (29) M Tompkins 5 9-0 (C3) ......... S Donohoe P McBride 4 8-4 (CD) .............. Hollie Doyle (5) BETTING: 6-4 Western Prince, 4 Aldreth, 5 Percy Veer, 8 Excellent Puck, 12 Cotton Club, Free Bounty, 14 Bracken Brae, Modernism.

7-2 Slowly into stride, driven forward to chase leaders, led over 3f out, headed over 1f out, soon rallied and every chance, edged left inside final furlong, no extra close home, 2nd of 9, nk behind Paladin at Southwell 1m 3f hcp 0-60 (6) fbs in Dec. 6-1 Tracked leaders, reminders 4f out, ridden 2f out, kept on same pace, lost 3rd inside final furlong, 4th of 6, 6l behind King Olav at Chelmsford City 2m hcp (6) pol in Dec.

7-2fav Mid-division, took keen hold, weakened final furlong, 8th of 11, 7l behind Galilee Chapel at Wolverhampton 1m 4f hcp (6) in Dec. 2-1fav Mid-division, outpaced over 2f out, ridden over 1f out, weakened final furlong, 9th of 14, 16l behind Shan Dun Na Ngall at Newcastle 2m hcp 0-60 (6) in Dec. 12-1 Held up towards rear, headway over 3f out, soon chasing leaders, led over 1f out, strongly challenged inside final furlong, edged left closing stages, stayed on, won at Southwell 1m 3f hcp 0-60 (6) fbs in Dec beating Bridey’s Lettuce by nk, 9 ran. 50-1 Led until over 2f out, stayed on same pace final furlong, 4th of 12, 8l behind Go George Go at Newcastle 1m 4f stks 0-55 (6) in Dec. (7) D Shaw 8 9-8 (CD) .............. Phil Dennis (5) (75)ABalding109-7(CD) ..... JoshuaBryan(7) (8) B Ellison 8 9-5 (D8) ........................... D Swift (4)SDixon58-11(CD5) ....................... KO’Neill (19) R Hughes 5 8-11 (D) .......... Nicola Currie (7) (19) P Evans 7 8-9 (D3) ................ A Mullen (14) S Dixon 4 8-9 (D) ........................... L Morris BETTING: 9-4 Captain Lars, 4 The Big Lad, 9-2 Crosse Fire, 5 Dungannon, 6 Archie Stevens, 10 I’ll Be Good, 16 Krystallite.

4-1fav Chased leaders, hard ridden to lead inside final furlong, all out, won at Southwell 5f hcp 0-80 (4) fbs in Dec beating Piazon by nk, 13 ran. 11-4fav Went right start, close up, switched left over 1f out, ridden to lead inside final furlong, ran on, won at Lingfield 5f hcp 0-70 (5) pol in Dec beating Mossgo by 1/2l, 10 ran.

12-1 Outpaced, in rear, headway over 1f out, never on terms, 6th of 12, 2l behind Razin’Hell at Southwell 5f hcp (3) fbs. 14-1 Towards rear, ridden 2f out, never a factor, 16th of 21, 5l behind Soie D’leau at Doncaster 5f hcp (2) gd in Oct. 7-2 Pressed leader until led entering final 2f, ridden and headed just inside final furlong, no extra, 5th of 10, 2 3/4l behind Picansort at Lingfield 5f hcp 0-70 (5) pol in Dec.

15-2 Led and keen, headed over 1f out, kept on and no impression, 2nd of 7, 5l behind Mustarrid at Wolverhampton 7f 2yo mdn auc stks (6) in Dec. 2-1 Pressed leader, ridden to lead over 1f out, headed inside final furlong, kept on, 2nd of 7, 3/4l behind The Feathered Nest at Chelmsford City 6f 2yo mdn stks (5) pol in Oct. 6-4fav Slowly into stride, chased leaders, outpaced well over 2f out, headway to chase winner entering final furlong, no extra towards finish, 2nd of 4, 3/4l behind Scotch Myst at Southwell 6f 3yo hcp 0-70 (5) fbs. 66-1 Towards rear, never a factor, 10th of 13, 9l behind Holmeswood at Newcastle 6f 2yo mdn stks (5) in Nov. (116) K Burke 9-7 ............. J Vaughan (5) (65) J J Quinn 9-6 .............................. J Hart (56) P Evans 9-6 .......................................... K O’Neill (31) R Fahey 9-6 ............................ D Nolan (121) D Brown 9-5 .......................... Aaron Jones (3) (23) T D Barron 9-5 ............................... A Mullen (30) A Balding 9-3 ...................... William Cox (7) (30) J Hughes 9-2 ..................................... J Haynes (43)MAppleby8-10 ...................... RPWalsh(7) (23) D C Griffiths 8-9 ..................... L Keniry (30) Olly Williams 8-9 ................ C Shepherd (3) BETTING: 7-2 Magic Journey, 4 Fairy Lock, 6 Seaview, 8 Elements Legacy, Log Off, Shaqoos, 10 Stag Party, Come On Percy, 14 Others.

12-1 Keen, in touch, pushed along and lost lost place 3f out, ridden 2f out, stayed on under pressure inside final furlong, 3rd of 10, 3 1/2l behind Alice’s Dream at Wolverhampton 7f 2yo hcp 0-65 (6) in Nov. 16-1 Held up in touch, headway over 2f out, chased leaders approaching final furlong, never able to challenge, 4th of 12, 7l behind Gracious Tom at Southwell 6f 2yo hcp 0-60 (6) fbs in Dec. 5-2 Tracked leaders, ridden over 2f out, switched left approaching final furlong, ran on close home, 3rd of 9, 1 3/4l behind Chevalier du Lac at Leicester 7f 2yo sll (6) gs in Sep. 66-1 Driven to chase leaders early, ridden under 3f out, no extra, weakened under 2f out, 28th of 30, 19l behind Orewa at Curragh 6f 2yo auc in Sep.

7-4fav Keen, held up in touch, headway to track leader entering final 3f, led 2f out, ridden and ran on, won at Southwell 1m 6f hcp 0-75 (5) fbs in Dec beating Goldslinger by 4l, 7 ran. 7-1 Tracked leader, effort over 2f out, kept on well under pressure, 3rd of 9, 1 1/2l behind Stamford Raffles at Newcastle 2m hcp 0-85 (4) in Dec. 4-1 Held up towards rear, ridden and headway over 1f out, one pace, 4th of 12, 7l behind Beltor at Kempton 2m hcp 0-85 (4) pol in Dec. 12-1 Led , ridden and headed approaching final furlong, faded towards finish, 6th of 10, 4l behind Priors Brook at Lingfield 1m 4f hcp 0-80 (4) pol in Nov. 16-1 Held up in touch, ridden 2f out, effort entering final furlong, kept on one pace, 4th of 8, 4 1/2l behind Alfredo at Lingfield 2m hcp 0-85 (4) pol in Dec.

6-1 Tracked leader, tracked new leader 3f out, led over 2f out until 2f out, hung left and weakened quickly over 1f out, 9th of 11, 35l behind Cavalieri at Chelmsford City 2m hcp 0-70 (5) pol in Nov. 20-1 Held up mid-division, headway 2f out, one pace inside final furlong, 6th of 12, 8l behind Beltor at Kempton 2m hcp 0-85 (4) pol in Dec.

7-2 Made all, clear when edged left and ridden inside final furlong, ran on well, unchallenged, won at Newcastle 5f hcp (2) in Dec beating Gracious John by 1 1/2l, 8 ran. 12-1 Slight lead on rail until halfway, lost 2nd over 1f out, weakened rapidly final furlong, eased, last of 12, 19l behind Brando at Sandown 5f Grp 3 (1) sft in Jul.

5-1 Raced wide tracked leaders, ridden 2f out, kept on same pace final furlong, 5th of 12, 3l behind Encore d’Or at Chelmsford City 5f hcp (2) pol in Nov. 7-2 Slowly away, in rear, ridden over 1f out, no extra inside final furlong, 8th of 11, 4l behind Jordan Sport at Wolverhampton 6f hcp (2) in Dec. 11-2 Led, ridden and headed inside final 2f, weakened final furlong, last of 11, 6l behind Dynamo Walt at Newcastle 5f hcp 0-95 (3) in Dec. 12-1 Chased leaders, pushed along and outpaced halfway, ralllied approaching final furlong, ridden and weakened inside final furlong, 5th of 8, 4l behind Distant Past at Newcastle 5f hcp (2) in Dec. (30) G Margarson 10 9-7 (BF, D3)Jane Elliott (7) (20) D Ivory 5 9-6 (C, D) .......... Lulu Stanford (5) (143) J Gask 4 9-4 ........................... N Mackay (294) D Shaw 4 8-9 (CD) .................................... L Morris (21) P McEntee 4 8-8 ............... C Shepherd (3) (267) D Shaw 4 8-8 (CD) ......... A Beschizza (21) R Harris 4 8-8 (BF, D) ............................ R Powell (76) Mrs L Williamson 4 8-7 ............ Nathan Evans (3) BETTING: 9-4 Secret Bird, 7-2 Excellent Aim, 4 Topsoil, 6 Yisty, 8 K’gari Spirit, 10 Justice Rock, 16 Name That Toon, 33 Rojina.

7-2fav Made all, ridden over 1f out, kept on well, won at Wolverhampton 5f hcp (6) in Dec beating Chandresh by 2l, 11 ran.

5-1fav Towards rear, ridden and headway towards far side entering final furlong, stayed on to go 2nd, 2nd of 14, 1 3/4l behind Piazon at Southwell 5f hcp 0-60 (6) fbs in Dec. 4-1fav Went left start, pulled hard and pressed leader, led over 4f out, headed entering final furlong, no extra towards finish, 4th of 12, 3 1/2l behind Tilsworth Micky at Chelmsford City 6f hcp 0-50 (7) pol in Dec. 14-1 Chased leaders, ridden and hung left over 1f out, kept on and almost snatched 3rd close home, 4th of 9, 1 3/4l behind Kuanyao at Chelmsford City 5f hcp (6) pol in Mar. 8-1 Dwelt and soon switched left, in touch in rear, ridden over 1f out, stayed on inside final furlong, nearest finish, 4th of 7, 5l behind Red Invader at Chelmsford City 5f hcp (6) pol in Aug. 6-1 Led, headed over 4f out, weakened inside final furlong, 7th of 12, 9l behind Tilsworth Micky at Chelmsford City 6f hcp 0-50 (7) pol in Dec.

3-1 Edged right start, pulled hard tracking leaders, effort over 1f out, kept on same pace final furlong, 3rd of 6, 4 1/2l behind Commander Cole at Wolverhampton 1m 1f 2yo hcp (2) in Nov.

Dansili colt out of Marywell. 14-1 Raced wide, close up, ridden 2f out, edged left and stayed on inside final furlong, 3rd of 9, 1 1/4l behind X Rated at Wolverhampton 1m 1f 2yo mdn stks (5) in Nov.

Galileo colt out of Sweet Cecily. 40-1 Tracked leader, led 2f out, ridden and headed over 1f out, soon lost 2nd, weakened inside final furlong, 8th of 14, 3 1/2l behind Washington Blue at Kempton 1m 2yo hco 0-75 (5) pol in Dec. 33-1 Steadied and switched right start, held up in last pair, headway towards inside 2f out, ridden over 1f out, plugged on into never dangerous 4th final 50 yards, 4th of 9, 7l behind Gallifrey at Kempton 1m 2yo mdn fll (4) pol in Dec. 50-1 In rear, never on terms, 10th of 13, 19l behind Makaarim at Wolverhampton 1m 1f 2yo mdn stks (5) in Dec.