The Player Queen looks ready to reign for Dobbin at Ayr

The Player Queen is an exciting addition to the jumping ranks in the opening Hogmanay Ball At Western House Hotel Mares' Maiden Hurdle at Ayr today.

The daughter of Yeats won a point-to-point and a Cheltenham bumper for Mel Rowley before changing hands for £140,000 in May.

Having made the move north to join Rose Dobbin, connections will surely be disappointed if she is unable to make a successful start in a minor event such as this.

Dobbin also unleashes a promising point-to-point recruit in the Ayrshire Cancer Support Novices' Hurdle, but her Gentleman De Mai might struggle to better the Nicky Richards-trained Sauce Of Life. The six-year-old won bumpers at Musselburgh and Market Rasen last season, and he will be looking to complete a belated hat-trick on his return to action.

The Coral Scottish Grand National winning combination of trainer Lucinda Russell and jockey Tom Scudamore also team up in this race with the JP Mcmanus-owned Operation Overlord.

The £70,000 buy has had wind surgery since his only run for the yard in January this year and he is likely to give a good account of himself.

Local trainer Mike Smith has nine runners across the card with The Electrician holding strong claims in the Ayr Racecourse Sunday Market Handicap Hurdle.

The lightly-raced five yearold ran second at the track in May and has Ryan Mania in the saddle. The Grand National winning jockey also rides Melanamix for the Smith yard in the Christmas Parties At western house hotel handicap Hurdle (Div II ).

The card ends with the Book Your Christmas Break At Western House Open National Hunt Flat Race and Richards, who has a great record in this type of race at Ayr, saddles the newcomer Rose Of Siena with Brian Hughes riding.

Meanwhile, Young Fire can bounce back to form in the Light Brigade Handicap at Leicester.

David O'meara's six-year-old has found life tough in ultracompetitive heats at York and Ascot, finishing behind Cruyff Turn and Aldaary respectively.

His form before that was sound in races at those two tracks, and he won a nice race at Haydock in July. This race looks the easiest he has contested for a while, and it would be no surprise to see him return to his best.