Swingbridge leads Elliott’s Ayr offensive

● Progress Drive among strong opposition ● Richards out to maintain winning run

Leading Irish trainer Gordon Elliott sends a six strong team of horses to Ayr Racecourse today with jockey Sean Bowen set to ride five of them.

Elliott runs Swingbridge, a winner at Perth last month, in the feature race on the card, the Book Now For The Ayrshire Wedding Show Handicap Chase – a Class 3 contest over 3m 20y.

Swingbridge will face strong opposition in the nine-runner field including the Nicky Richards entry Progress Drive, who won at the track in February and Kimberlite Candy, who makes the long trip from the Herefordshire yard of Tom Lacey.

The Perfect Christmas Presents From Ayr Racecourse Handicap Chase looks a very tricky affair.

Mike Smith saddles course winner Las Tunas, with Dale Irving set to ride and another horse who likes the track is Lisa Harrison’s Instingtive – second here to Blakerigg earlier in the month and winner of a hurdle race at the course in February.

Nicky Richards is two out of two in bumpers at Ayr this season and goes for three in a row in the Christmas Parties At Ayr Racecourse Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race.

Nicky saddles Holme Abbey, a horse who runs in the colours carried to Scottish Grand National success back in 2004 by Grey Abbey, with young Danny Mcmenamin, who has ridden four winners from seven rides in the last 12 days, on board.

At Kempton, Part Exchange, who has had just a handful of outings to date, can double her winning tally in the 32Red Handicap.

A six-length winner on her racecourse debut last September, Hugo Palmer tried her in a fair fillies’ handicap at Lingfield in the November and Part Exchange’s run was really too bad to be true.

Sent off an odds-on favourite, she was in trouble some way out and trailed home over 12 lengths adrift. She was then not sighted again until July, but showed up well that day at Wolverhampton, although she has again been off the track since and is perhaps not the easiest filly to train. However, it speaks volumes that connections are persisting and this step up to a mile and a half looks well within her compass.

Merlin can build on a promising return in the 32Red.com Handicap. He won three times for Michael Bell last year, but has been limited to just one outing this term, finishing down the field in a competitive heat at Ripon in September.

While being beaten nearly eight lengths might not sound promising, Merlin tried to make every yard and eventually just ran out of gas.

Bell has not hurried him back into action, which could be in his favour and he lines up off a reduced mark of 92.

Fume can open his account as he returns from a gelding operation in the 32Red On The App Store Nursery Handicap.

Out of luck in four starts so far, this son of Frankel has raced keenly in the past and the application of blinkers last time out did not appear to help that much. The headgear is off again and it is too early to write him off.