Appleby’s Moon shot

● Four-year-old can re-find early form in Lingfield handicap

Mystique Moon should step up from his recent efforts by winning the Play Starburst Slot At sunbets.co.uk/vegas Handicap at Lingfield.

Charlie Appleby’s runner looked full of potential when winning two of his three starts in the early part of last year.

Then, in April, the four-yearold found only subsequent Listed and Group Three winner Arabian Hope too good, so it was understandable he was sent off favourite on his return at Lingfield. He had to settle for fourth but stayed on well enough to suggest he should be sharper for the outing and will perhaps find this seven furlongs more to his liking.

Star Story can finally get her head in front in the opening Betway Handicap. The fouryear-old was nothing if not consistent for Ralph Beckett last year, placing on each of her five outings without getting a win. It could be argued Star Story has been somewhat hampered by her keen-going nature and she also did not enjoy the best of passages at the finish last time, so it might pay to keep the faith in what appears an average event.

Jallota is an interesting contender as he tries his hand on the all-weather in the Sun Bets Conditions Stakes at Newcastle. Charlie Hills’ runner turned in a mixed bag of efforts in Listed and Pattern company last year but got his head in front when winning in some style at Redcar in October.

A couple of subsequent runs, most recently in a Newmarket Listed heat in November, failed to yield further joy but Jallota arrives here with a mark of 110 and the conditions of the race give him a potentially handy little pull in the weights.

The Smarkets Chatteris Fen Juvenile Hurdle takes centre stage at Huntingdon and Gumball is fancied. The Philip Hobbs-trained four-year-old looked a top-class juvenile in the making after winning his first two starts in Britain at Stratford and Chepstow, but was brushed aside by Apple’s Shakira at Cheltenham in November.

The winner is now clear favourite for the Triumph Hurdle and the suspicion was Gumball was not at his best on ultra-testing ground and he deserves a chance to show his truecoloursonacoursewhere conditions are frequently less demanding than elsewhere.