Skelton mount Not to be missed at Ayr

SKELTON, vying with Brian Hughes for the accolade which will be settled at the end of next week, ventures into his rival’s northern territories for a full book of rides – and Not That Fuisse may well be the pick of them in the Listed Hillhouse Quarry Handicap Chase.

Trained by Skelton’s brother Dan, the eight-year-old moves back up to this extended two-and-a-half-mile trip having shown up well over shorter in good company for the majority of the season.

Not That Fuisse won over close to this distance on his first run of the campaign at Perth in September, however, and performed with credit over slightly further in his hurdling days two seasons ago.

The spring ground is sure to suit him – and on the basis of his fair effort in fifth behind Sky Pirate over the minimum trip in the Grand Annual at Cheltenham, he can win off his current rating.

The Skeltons have given him a decent break since, and missing Aintree to come here could well pay off.

His jockey may be in business too in the opening Tennent’s Lager Novices’ Hurdle, on prolific juvenile Stepney Causeway who can get the better of Mrs Hyde in an early Skelton-Hughes head-to-head on the market leaders.

Sporting the familiar colours worn by stable star Allmankind over the past two seasons, Stepney Causeway put an underwhelming first start over hurdles well behind him with an exuberant March hat-trick at Catterick and Stratford.

He overturned previous form with a decent yardstick in the middle leg of his sequence, and should prove very difficult to peg back again here.

In the closing Book Your Staycation @Western House Hotel Handicap Hurdle, Tomorrow’s Angel catches the eye for in-form trainer Tristan Davidson.

Tomorrow’s Angel has run with credit to be third on the Flat at Redcar since winning for the first time in her career under either code, at Kelso last month.

She got up late to narrowly beat a subsequent winner there – and back up in trip slightly, from 6lb higher, she has sound prospects again.

Newbury kicks off its Flat calendar with a highly-competitive card, on which Almighwar can prove himself as he returns to turf and moves up in trip for the Compton Beauchamp Estates Ltd Silver Bar Handicap.

John and Thady Gosden’s colt had a solitary, and fruitless, start on grass as a juvenile in October 2019 – but has been a revelation subsequently on the Polytrack at Kempton.

He has had two more lengthy breaks since back-to-back novice wins over a mile and a half last summer, looking short of pace on his handicap debut at that same trip in November, then showing plenty more dash at the end of last month to be second to a welltouted

winner.

That was over a furlong shorter. But Almighwar, the son of an Oaks winner, has shown several times stamina is likely to be his forte – and this big move up to an extended two miles could unlock his potential.

Rafiki is another being set an intriguing new challenge in the Dubai Duty Free Full Of Surprises Handicap.

Alan King’s gelding has so far sampled three all-weather courses in as many starts, outrunning big odds to finish third on debut at Kempton in September, then winning at Wolverhampton a month later and on his Lingfield return when defying a penalty in March.

He appeared to stay that mile well, and is bred to perhaps appreciate even further. But his canny trainer must have seen plenty of speed from him, and the drop back to seven furlongs for the Dubai Duty Free Full Of Surprises Handicap suggests Rafiki will prove well capable at this level.

An intriguing Dubai Duty Free Golf World Cup British EBF Conditions Stakes can go the way of Hurricane Lane.

Charlie Appleby added him to the Derby at the latest entry stage and the Frankel colt certainly looked the part in his sole juvenile outing.