Green on course for Barnes-storming win

Maurice Barnes, successful aboard Borders-trained Grand National hero Rubstic in 1979, hop es to saddle the winner of the most valuable race on sold-out Ladies Day at Perth today.

Now a trainer in Cumbria, he is responsible for Fisher Green, one of six runners declared for the Binn Group Manage Collect Recycle Handicap Hurdle. Barnes secured Fisher Green for a mere £4,000 at the sales last autumn, and he said: “He’s been brilliant since we got him and he’s only failed to bring home prize money twice.

“He wasn’ t beaten far in second at Hexham last time, so, hopefully, he’ ll go close again.”

Rivals facing Fisher Green include the David Pipe-trained top-weight Legal History– already a winner at Exeter and Ascot this spring for his West Country connections–and An FearCiuinf or Ayrshire handler Mike Smith.

The opening Brown & Blacks Even Better Times Maiden Hurdle sees a rare Per th runner carrying the famous Susannah and Rich Ricci colours in the shape of Wilhelmina Vonvenster.

Trained at Grey stoke in Cumbria by Nicky Richards, he makes his debut over timber after running very green when an odds-on fourth in a bumper at Newcastle last November.

Get Out The Gate, the likely hot favourite for the DM Hall Chartered Surveyors Novices’ Chase, is already being tipped to go to the top and he made a pleasing debut over fences at Ayr.

Jim Goldie’s charge may not have things all his own way if Oliver Sherwood’ s Jersey Bean can produce his best hurdle form on this bow over the bigger obstacles.

Meanwhile, Line Of Duty can shake up the Derby picture with victory in the Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Dante Stakes at York. With top juvenile Too Darn Hot in the field and Japan seeking to further bolster Aidan O’brien’s spectacular hand for Epsom, it really is a race not to be missed.

But it is Charlie Appleby’s Galileo colt who can spoil the party. Nicely progressive last season, Line Of Duty finished the campaign with a tremendous victor y at the Breeders’ Cup. Significantly, he had last weekend’ s Ling field Derby Trial winner Anthony Van Dyck well in arrears.