Rockstar can race to victory at Ludlow

Rockstar Ronnie can complete his hat-trick in the Tanners Champagne Handicap Chase at Ludlow.

A dual winner over hurdles earlier in the year, Dan Skelton's charge was disappointing on his fencing debut at Newton Abbot in October, having lost a shoe and jumped right throughout.

It was no surprise to see Rockstar Ronnie run on a right-handed track on his next start and it certainly did the trick as he dominated from the front at Kempton.

There is no doubt the sixyear-old was fortunate to follow up at the same venue a couple of weeks later, when he was booked for minor honours until Sebastopol suffered a heavy fall at the final fence.

Rockstar Ronnie would have been a clear second, though, to a horse who went into the race with a mark of 140 following a string of excellent efforts in defeat.

Skelton returns to the handicap arena from a perch of 132 - and on a right-handed track and a decent surface forecast, he should prove hard to beat.

The Donald McCaintrained Minella Trump is expected to extend his remarkable winning sequence to eight in the G.C.Rickards Ltd Novices' Limited Handicap Chase.

Since rounding off the last campaign with a hurdles success at Perth, the Shantou gelding has been well placed to rattle off seven consecutive chase victories.

While not all the races he has contested have been that competitive, Minella Trump has beaten a few good horses along the way, including recent Newcastle scorer Pay The Piper.

This will be the toughest test he has encountered, but McCain's charge is clearly in rude health and looks sure to be involved once again.

The Newest One looks the answer to the Tanners Claret Handicap Chase.

Admittedly not in the same class as his esteemed sibling The New One, the sixyear-old is getting the hang of things judged on two wins from three starts this autumn.

The Newest One beat just one other finisher on his latest appearance at Doncaster, but it was still hard not to be impressed by the way he readily dispatched of a decent stick in Huntsmans Jog.

A 3lb rise might not be enough to prevent him from following up.

Khilwafy can make it backto-back wins at Southwell in the Betway Casino Handicap.

Having shaped with promise in bumpers and on his first two Flat starts, David Thompson's inmate broke his duck with a ready success over this course and distance earlier in the month.

An opening mark of 72 looks workable for a horse open to further progress.