Ice Pyramid looks to be a hot bet
PHIL KIRBY enjoyed a golden spell over the festive season and can continue his good run with Ice Pyramid in the Betway Casino Maiden Stakes at Newcastle.
The North Yorkshire-based handler took a Listed race at Doncaster with his stable star Lady Buttons, while Top Ville Ben looked a novice chaser going places when part of a treble at Wetherby.
Seven winners since Boxing Day alone have been sent out by the yard - and the dual-purpose handler may have picked up a bargain in the shape of this ex-Godolphin inmate.
Kirby parted with £30,000 and on the basis of his only run to date, that does not look excessive.
He was second at Redcar in the all-blue Godolphin silks back in June, so while he must have had a problem not to have run again, the fact he was beaten a little over a length by a 90-rated rival, admittedly getting 7lb, suggests he is up to winning a race like this.
Hugo Palmer has been a good supporter of Newcastle since the switch to an all-weather surface and sends Breaking Records on the journey from Newmarket for the sunracing.co.uk Handicap.
He is operating at an almost 25 per cent strike-rate, which considering he has sent 80 runners to Gosforth Park is some going.
This Kodiac gelding has been holding his form well, has had a pound knocked off for a decent effort last time out and this race looks a little easier.
Mark Johnston’s Fiction Writer was beaten by the narrowest of margins on debut and holds solid claims of going one better in the Ladbrokes Home Of The Odds Boost Novice Stakes.
Given he was bought at the May breeze-up sales he took a while to make the track and connections will want to make up for lost time.
The best bet at Wolverhampton appears to be the John Gosdentrained Military Law in the Betway Heed Your Hunch Handicap.
He returned from over 400 days off to finish a fine second at Lingfield in a 10 furlong affair early last month.
As long as the dreaded bounce factor does not affect him, then he looks the one with most scope for progress in a decent little race.
Ettila De Sivola looks to have a bright future - based on admittedly limited evidence to date - and is worth backing in the Jump To It And Join Racing UK Novices’ Hurdle at Ayr
He won a Doncaster bumper over two years ago on his racecourse debut, but was not seen again until early December - a break of over a year.
What he did at Sedgefield proved he had lost not of his ability, though, as he fairly bolted up.
The merit of that form is open to question, but there could be no arguments about the way he went about his business, beating an odds-on shot from the Jonjo O’Neill yard.