Punters should benefit from Bradley’s Spiritual guidance

● Carter’s charge can make early start at Wolverhampton

Wolverhampton racegoers can seize an early initiative by lending their support to Spiritual Star in the opening race of the day.

The eight-year-old gelding is by no means a worldbeater, but he surely has enough about him to end a maddening winless run in the eight-and-a-half-furlong apprentice handicap.

Spiritual Star has rather been at sea for a while now. Indeed, he has not hit the target since October 2015.

Be that as it may, there were definite signs of life at Lingfield last time to suggest there is the requisite fire in the belly to win a small prize like this.

The son of Soviet Star was sent off a 5-1 chance in a onemile handicap and came desperately close in the hands of regular rider Paddy Bradley.

Spiritual Star was stealthily held up by his jockey before he was produced with what looked a potentially winning run inside the final three furlongs.

But with the momentum seemingly behind him, Lee Carter’s inmate suddenly encountered a good deal of traffic problems inside the final 250 yards.

Once daylight appeared, he flashed home to finish third and was beaten only a head by Wink Oliver. That run did not go unnoticed by the handicapper, who has raised him 2lb to a mark of 67. Even so, it was only a few years ago that he was rated in the 90s, so that should hardly be an offputting statistic.

With Bradley back at the helm, a big run is anticipated.

See Vermont has constantly found winning hard to do since he struck at Musselburgh last August, but all that might change when he lines up for the Betway Sprint Handicap.

Rebecca Bastiman’s sprinter is not getting any quicker, but the nine-year-old is a capable operator on his day. He was not beaten at all far at Newcastle earlier in the month, either,

0 Paddy Bradley will ride Spiritual Star at Wolverhampton. and it is also pleasing to see Danny Tudhope keep the faith.

Bandol should go well in the two-and-a-half-mile handicap chase at Hexham. Simon West’s nine-year-old has had a good season, with back-toback wins in the depths of winter a testament to his ability.

It all went wrong at Sedgefield earlier this month, though, as he fell at the eighth in a handicap chase for novices. Bandol had, however, travelled smoothly until that costly mistake, so he can be forgiven that lapse in concentration.

He has won before on heavy ground, but connections have always been of the belief he is a better horse on a sounder surface. And with the forecast set fair, he should find things highly suitable in what is not a particularly strong race.

Fattsota has been very well placed by David O’meara and looks like being hard to beat in the grandnational2017.com Novices’ Hurdle at Southwell.

A classy Flat handicapper throughout his career, he has had his attentions turned to hurdling late in life as a nineyear-old now.

In three previous starts over timber he has been second twice and won at Musselburgh, and it is notable he is being kept to sharp, flat tracks like this. He cut no ice back on the Flat most recently but a mark of 90 looks beyond him these days and he will be more at home bossing inferior opponents over jumps. The booking of Richard Johnson is another plus.