Dutch Artist in frame against big field

● Trainer Brown given grounds for hope ● Strong finish last time showed promise

Dutch Artist might be worth a little interest in a seven- furlong handicap at Redcar.

Luck will be needed as a huge field has been declared at the Tees Valley circuit, yet this son of Dutch Art remains appealing handicapped for new trainer Alan Brown.

He ratherlost his way for David O’meara, so it was nice to see him kick on at Ponte - fract last time on what was his third outing for Brown. The gelding did not get the breaks in Yorkshire and ended up finishing third, but it was reassuring to see him respond to Phil Ma kin’ s persuasions when push came to shove.

A winner over seven furlongs last May, he is good enough to make an honourablefist of things off a career- low mark of 66.

Kreb’s Cycle can lead the charge at Newcastle for Ian Williams and Josephine Gordon.

The three-year-oldson of Helmet succumbed by just a head over seven furlongs at this track on his last outing but is expected to thrive back over a mile.

Kreb’s Cycle was well s up - ported that day so any market move should be seized upon in the Heart North East Handicap.

Wolf trap can be trusted to bring home the bacon in the John Deere Handicap Hurdle at Wincanton.

Philip Hobbs’ eight- year- old bumped into a tar tar on his most recent spin at Uttoxeter last month as Souriyan proved much too sharp in a handicap hurdle just shy of three miles.

That rival duly followed up at Stratford and was then con- sidered good enough to run in the Silver Trophy at Chepstow last weekend.

Wolftrap is highly unlikely to run into a similar sort of progressive animal at Wincanton, where he races off the same mark of 110.

Dance into the light can have a whale of a time back over two and a half miles when he runs in a handicap hurdle at Fakenham.

Donald Mc Cain’ s like able grey nearly brought home a double on his most recent start as he went down by a head to Picture Painter.

He was ever so slightly tapped for toe by the winner that day, though, so the deci- sion to step back up in distance – a trip over which he won so well at Sedgefield in August – could be a sound move.

Today’s scheduled Flat meeting at Haydock was abandoned yesterday due to a waterlogged track.

Clerk of the course Kirkland Tellwright had called an 8am inspection for raceday in due of an inclement forecast.

However, persistent rain yesterday – 17 millimetres fell betweennoon and 4.30 pm –meant the inspection was brought forward.

The meeting was due to be Hay dock’s final Flat card of the season.

Meanwhile, Martyn Meade’s Prix de la Foret winner Aclaim has been retired to stand at the National Stud in Newmarket for 2018.

Having broken his Group One duck in France on what turned out to be his final outing, the four- year- old had earlier won Group Twos at Doncaster and Newmarket.