AT THE RACES Musselburgh pair catch eye

TOMORROW’S New Year’s Day card at Musselburgh sees Sebastopol and Romain De Senam both catch the eye as contenders likely to encounter their preferred conditions.

If either is to find decent ground anywhere at this time of year, it will be at this track – and both have regularly shown they are much better on a sound surface.

Romain De Senam is potentially well-handicapped these days, and it may have been a blessing he did not get far last time before being brought down in the hugely-competitive Caspian Caviar Gold Cup – won in devastating fashion by Chatham Street Lad.

The Betway ‘Auld Reekie’ Handicap

Chase represents much calmer waters – and Romain De Senam is still young enough to be running close to his best for Dan and Harry Skelton.

Tom Lacey has passed over a succession of possible opportunities for Sebastopol on account of soft ground. But there is every suggestion the Herefordshire trainer still rates the former point-to-point and bumper winner highly over timber, and he appears to have hand-picked this trip north for the Betway Handicap Hurdle.

Ground conditions will be polar opposite at Exeter, where The Edgar Wallace seeks to restate his credentials after a slightly disappointing hurdles debut at Ascot.

He was not disgraced and faced some very useful opponents there, though – and if he learned some lessons, he should be hard to beat for Kim Bailey in the Happy New Year ‘National Hunt’ Maiden Hurdle on the basis of his very promising bumper form last spring.

Thrill Seeker can ensure the new year starts with its share of excitement by winning the Bombardier British Hopped Amber Beer Handicap which opens Southwell’s card.

Those in need of a spring in their step tomorrow cannot rely on Cheltenham this year, after the New Year’s Day meeting in the Cotswolds was abandoned due to waterlogging.

The Fibresand can instead deliver, though, and Thrill Seeker looks primed to do his bit just after lunchtime.

William Haggas’ son of Invincible Spirit was well-backed as the even-money favourite to break his all-weather duck at the second attempt, in novice company at Wolverhampton over seven furlongs before Christmas – and he got the job done with little fuss.

He held his head a little high that day, not for the first time, so Cieren Fallon will doubtless be wise to keep him out of the kickback here.

But it was a step very much in the right direction – in first-time cheekpieces after a gelding operation – and a 7lb rise for this handicap debut does not appear a major concern, following plausible previous efforts to twice finish third in October.

Thrill Seeker did not appear to stay the 10 furlongs at Chelmsford on his penultimate run, but this switch back up to just a mile looks spot on at this stage.