Musselburgh confident of beating the rain as Teorie bids to get back on track

Musselburghserveupafriday evening jumps feast and Teorie can take top honours in the Go North Grey Bomber Juvenile Hurdle Series Final.

Fergal O'brien's charge was a Flat winner for Jim Bolger last year before joining his current team and making a winning hurdles bow when hacking up in a qualifier for this contest at Catterick back in December.

He then headed to Musselburgh for another qualifier under a penalty, although that run ended with a disappointing fourth as his jumping was not so slick and he drifted across the track in the finish.

Teorie then took on older rivals at Southwell, where he secured a convincing victory, but the Fred Winter at the Festival proved a step too far and this lesser company can see him get back on track.

Sunday Soldier has been steamrollering her way through mares' and novices' company and has a five-timer in her sights in the Go North Lady Buttons Mares' Hurdle Series Final.

The six-year-old kicked off

her winning spree over just short of two miles at Musselburgh in December, adding another course-and-distance success in January before making a swift reappearance and slight leap in trip to follow up at Sedgefield.

She was 7lb well in that day but showed that her revised

mark of 106 was still highly workable when winning a Doncaster qualifier for this by ten lengths.

Sunday Soldier has a further 8lb to contend with here and a longer two-and-a-halfmile trip, but she is firmly on an upward curve and having proven her ability to handle testing ground, another victory does not look beyond her.

Call Me Harry has a fine Musselburgh strike rate that can be further enhanced in the Go North Brindisi Breeze Hurdle Series Final.

Winner of two of his four starts at the track, he did not sparkle on his most recent spin in February when his jumping let him down a bit, but he cannot be dismissed lightly.

The rain, of course, is a concern but officials at Musselburgh are confident the track will be fit for racing tonight after the disappointment of the course’s opening

Flat fixture being washed away on Easter Saturday.

“We were absolutely gutted to lose last Saturday’s big meeting but our jumps track is very different to the Flat circuit,” reported managing director Bill Farnsworth. “It’s been another wet week in East Lothian but the jumps track drains so much better.

“In the summer, the Flat course needs regular watering while we don’t water the jumps counterpart so that’s is also a big factor in its favour. It’s more sand-based and jumps horses tend to be more used to soft ground as well.”