Attimo should ace its rivals at Catterick

Solid show a week ago suggests eight-year-old can win this afternoon

ATTIMO is respected in the Easby Abbey Handicap Chase at Catterick.

A clean winner at Sedgefield on New Year’s Eve, the eight-year-old had looked hamstrung by the assessor until he was pitched into duty at Wetherby on February 21.

Attimo was on fine terms with himself at the Yorkshire circuit, finishing a relatively close third behind The drinky meister over three miles.

Trainer Sam England must surely be heartened by that Wetherby run and expectant of a solid show as he is back at the sort of distance over which he has winning form.

THE BAY OAK looks the one in the Racing UK-sponsored novice chase.

Dan Skelton’s former point-to-pointer looks to have much to offer over fences on the evidence of his chasing debut at Hereford, when second to Wild West Wind in a heavy-ground handicap.

The Bay Oak only went down by three-quarters of a length against a horse who already had form over fences, so even better can be expected in novice company. HOLLOW BLUE SKY can turn around recent form with Drumviredy in the Squire Osbaldeston Handicap Chase at Leicester.

Drumviredy proved two and a quarter lengths too good for Hollow Blue Sky at Bangor last month, despite the fact she was having to concede 3lb to Nigel Twiston-Davies’ charge.

Drumviredy has to give Hollow Blue Sky 8lb this time around and given she was all out to hold him last time, it would not be unreasonable to expect the places to be reversed here.

Also at Leicester, GORING TWO can upset some of the more fancied runners in the Daniel Lambert Handicap Chase.

The 12-year-old has not won for more than a year, and was fourth out of four at Towcester earlier this month, but has three wins, a decent record in handicap chases and can upset the odds here. SUPREME DANEHILL has strong claims in the Cottesmore ‘Grassroots’ Maiden Hunter Chase at Leicester.

Having unseated his rider 12 days ago at the same track, the nine-year-old can certainly win and display some of the impressive form it showed in point to point racing in Ireland. SELECTIONS: CATTERICK: 2.20 Cafe Au Lait, 2.50 Classical Sound, 3.20 ATTIMO (NAP), 3.50 Lough Derg Jewel, 4.20 The Bay Oak, 4.50 Aengus. LEICESTER: 2.10 Brice Canyon, 2.40 Dueling Banjos, 3.10 Toby Lerone, 3.40 Hollow Blue Sky, 4.10 Goring Two, 4.40 Supreme Danehill. DOUBLE: Attimo and The Bay Oak.