David Massey is fresh from a short break in Scotland and looks ahead to what's to come at Southwell, Market Rasen, Catterick and Wincanton in the next few days.
I've had the most wonderful time in Berwick-Upon-Tweed this weekend. I know what you’re thinking, why on earth am I travelling to the England/Scotland border a week before the Cheltenham Festival but Mrs M thought it might be a good idea to have a break before the mayhem begins, rather than after, and at the same time we could take in the Morebattle at Kelso and tick another track off the list!
So we arrived Friday and, first off, went for a lovely walk down the pier to the lighthouse. Oh, the peace and tranquility. So much so I’ve videoed it and then, when I’ve got our esteemed editor Mr Ord sat next to me at Cheltenham, asking me some ridiculous question for the tenth time, the earphones are going in and I'm just playing that video on loop.
And then, Friday night, Mrs M had booked us into an Italian restaurant that was, frankly, incredible. Pizza breads the size of an actual pizza for a fiver. Pasta mains under a tenner. Pints at a very reasonable price. I drank and ate my own body weight in carbs for no money at all. Fantastic!
So to this week, then. We kick off at Southwell and it must be the first jumps meeting I’ve missed at Southwell for many a while, as we're travelling back from the North East and are hoping to call in at Seahouses on the way, maybe a stop off at a certain stable that has a genuine Triumph Hurdle candidate there? We’ll see.
Either way, a lack of runners isn't great for Southwell, and it must be said it’s a mediocre card.
I couldn’t bring myself to have a bet in the three-runner first if I tried - Flash In The Park will probably go off favourite, but could you back something that got whacked 34 wickets over C&D last time? - but Smurfette looks to hold a very good chance in the second at 14:15.
She won with plenty in hand over C&D here in November and did better again from a 5lb higher mark when beaten a neck at Uttoxeter on New Year’s Eve. It wasn’t great at Market Rasen last time but a late mistake didn’t help her cause, and with big doubts about her five opponents in one way or another, this does look a golden opportunity.
Java Point did the Punting Pointers column a massive favour when winning for us at Ludlow last time (put up at 33s, that was a good day) but a word of warning before you go piling in again - wins come few and far between for him and whilst he’s the sort to take a chance on at a big price at a track he had plenty of previous form, steaming in at a short price here is a no-no for me. Jeffrey’s Cross will give him something to think about in receipt of 4lb, and depending on prices, I could row in with him here.
The novice hurdle at 16:15 looks a penalty kick for Tread Carefully but the race for the places is open, and I might give Roland Garros another chance. I think, ultimately, he will want better ground but there’s a race in him somewhere this spring when it does quicken up, and he might fall into a place here. Wind surgery seemed to help back on the Flat at Lingfield last time, so keep him on trackers regardless of what happens here.
The last at 16:45 is another weak affair and for all there are a couple of potential plots in here, I’ll row in with Steel Soldier, who got a positive mention from Trackside at Huntingdon last time and duly ran a better race, sticking at it for third in a similarly weak affair. That showed he handles heavy ground and maybe we can get John Norton off the cold list here - just the 940 days since a jumps winner and counting - this column has previous for it... see the next paragraph!
Market Rasen on Tuesday kicks off with a long-distance chase, best part of three and a half miles. I could fancy Supervisor on his best form but that Venetia revival was shorter than a mayfly’s lifespan and I can’t back him. Scottish King did the column a good turn at the last meeting, and for all that was a terrible race, this isn’t that much better, with the class horses seemingly out of form. So I’m going to row in with him again, as he never looked in danger of defeat from a long way out there, and a 4lb rise looks more than manageable.
Tombereau won’t be winning the 15:15 but he should be in your My Stable with with handicaps in mind; that was a better effort at Southwell last time and he’s getting the hang of it as he gets fitter. And I like the look of Neon Moon in the Veterans' Chase at 15:45, mainly on the grounds that I think both Pull Again Green and Sure Touch will need the run, Can You Call ran deplorably at Sandown last time (almost too bad to be true, could bounce back I suppose) and this is about as far as Geryville wants to go (rail movements add another half-furlong on to this). So Neon Moon, who was in good form before a fall at Ascot last time, almost picks himself here.
There’s not much to get stuck into at Catterick on Wednesday but Shadowfax Of Rohan is going to take all the beating in the 15:10 if he turns up. A nice winner for Punting Pointers last week, it didn’t take Pat Neville long to unlock his ability and the way he was confidently ridden all the way round suggests they knew he had a lot more in hand than the penalty he’ll have to carry today.
Better Be Definite has a few entries over the week but he might well turn up here, and if he does I think he can give likely favourite Junior Des Mottes something to think about. The latter has been mopping up hurdles further south and has a clear chance under a penalty, but Better Be Definite bounced back to form when winning easily at Ayr last time, and a 7lb rise is fair. He’s clearly not been the easiest to train in recent times, that being only his fourth start since the summer of 2024, but he looked right back to his best - and indeed better - at Ayr, and I fancy he can follow up.
On Thursday, keep one eye on Perfect Nelson if she turns up for the 0-100 at Wincanton, scheduled for 15:07. Beaten under three lengths by Mystical Power - yes, that Mystical Power - in a bumper back in the depths of 2023, she’s clearly had her issues but the fact connections persist suggest there’s something to be gained, and she clearly needed her comeback run at Taunton three weeks ago, that after the best part of two years away. If she comes forward from that, she could be interesting, as some of her novice hurdle form wasn’t bad in the context of this race.
There we go. No column next week as I’ll be busy with other things, but the Punting Pointers next week will be concentrating on the away meetings rather than Cheltenham so you’ll not miss out!
Have a great week.
Published at 17:00 GMT on 01/03/26
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