Away From The Spotlight: Catterick, Wincanton, Ludlow and Ffos Las

By David Massey

Horse Racing

Mon December 15, 2025 · 4h ago

David Massey is back with a look at what's to come away from the spotlight this week.

Always a quiet week, this one, the one before Christmas. Never anything particularly local for me, which in its own way works well as it means I can finish off all the shopping/wrapping/visiting of relatives without thinking I’m missing out on something.

Maybe I’ll give Ludlow a go Wednesday - the Award-Winning Vicki Gibbins (as she is now known in the virtual office) will be covering Newbury for Trackside, she loves the place - so if I’m well in front of the Christmas game by midweek, maybe I’ll go cross-country to Shropshire. Barring that, it’ll be Ascot at the end of the week for me, always an enjoyable couple of days.

Catterick on Tuesday is going to be pretty testing, if the forecast is right. There’s a lovely amateurs contest to kick off with and Bollin Neil looks a must for placepot backers. 27 runs at the track under all codes have seen him placed here 18 times, and he’ll not care how deep the ground gets. He’s often gone well for an amateur/apprentice in the past and looks an automatic choice here.

Passing Pleasure (1.15) was an easy winner over hurdles and switching to fences off the same mark, will have a good chance of following up; placed in two of his three point-to-points, he should make the transition to the larger obstacles easily enough. There are two of interest in the mares' handicap hurdle at 2.15; Vanilla Dancer finished second in this last year and looks to have been lined up with another crack at it in mind. She’s fine on soft ground, for all she tends to race on good, and she might be the one to beat, especially after a wind operation.

But just keep an eye on Cross Of Redmoor, who did not appreciate a drop back in trip last time after showing a bit more the time before; on goes some headgear, and I think she might do a bit better. Market will guide, here, I feel.

There’s not a lot over at Wincanton that catches the eye, but I will mention Bobbi With An I again. She was due to have a crack at fences last week but that plan seems to have been shelved for the time being, and she goes in the mares' handicap hurdle at 3:00 instead. She’s a lovely horse with her future ahead of her, she should go well here.

Newbury on Wednesday is a very good meeting with loads of potentially useful sorts making their hurdles debuts; Contacto (12.23), rated 85 on the Flat, is exactly the sort that Lucy Wadham will do well with, he can win races, and West Hill Verde (1.23) went straight onto the horses to follow list after his third to Act Of Innocence here last time out. He goes up in trip, which I think is going to suit him well. I like him, a lot.

Ludlow, too, isn’t without novice hurdle interest; Un Sens De La Vie will be pretty short to win the opener at 12:13 but having been beaten by Fortune De Mer and Old Park Star on his last two starts at Cheltenham, that’s form that suddenly looks a whole lot better, and he should be winning this. The fun might come from finding something at a price for the places; the Skelton’s Rene’s Walk fits the bill, for all she’s looking for a mark. (It’s possible she goes in the mares' race later in the afternoon.)

Saint Segal’s half-brother Authoceltic looked a natural at the chasing game when scoring at Wincanton (replay below) and can follow up in the 12:43, and I’ll be giving Icare Colombe another try in the 2:55 in the hope he jumps a bit better than he did at Warwick, he simply couldn’t get involved. He’s better than that.

Unlimited Replays

of all UK and Irish races with our Race Replays

Discover Sporting Life Plus Benefits Sporting Life Plus - Join For Free

And there’s a fascinating contender in the closer at 3.30, a lady amateurs' handicap hurdle (no, please, come back) in the shape of the bottom weight Windsor Blue. I have no doubt this has been the target; three quick runs in October and November to get the mark, and this sister to that dour stayer Cogry is only going to keep improving with time. Trainer Henry Daly won this with Regal Renaissance (was lucky to do so) back in 2022 who was also making her handicap debut after - you guessed it - three relatively quick runs to get the mark. She's not exactly been thrown in here but there’s surely a lot more to come.

Ffos Las might need some luck to be on, with 40mm of rain due early next week, but we might finally get to see Mythe Bridge in the 2.10 (also in at Uttoxeter Friday, would be as interesting there) and it was wonderful to see Stamina Chope (2.40) get her reward at Leicester last time. She steps up to three miles and that’s a plus, all she does is stay, and despite an 8lb rise for that win, I think she’ll go in again.

I’ll be at Ascot on Friday but Uttoxeter’s card has its charms.

Thankyouandplease (2.03) dotted up (well backed) at Leicester in deep ground last week and, remarkably, carries a pound less here because of the timings of the handicapping system we have, and if in the same form, will be winning again.

If he doesn’t turn up, keep an eye on Martin Keighley’s giant Osterberg, who goes handicapping off a basement mark here; a horse that’s clearly needed time, it wasn’t a disaster at Ffos Las last time, and interestingly, has been entered up in two races on the card, this one (over 2m) and the last (over 2m4f). However, we’ve also got Welcheston Warrior in the last, a non-runner at Leicester last week when I fancied him, so there’s all sorts of possible combinations that could happen.

Icaque De L’Isle should be spot-in fitness wise for the 2:38 but keep an eye on the market as far as Slievehill goes; handicapped with three runs over two miles, this step up in trip will suit this winning pointer and we know trainer David Jeffries is more than capable of landing the Christmas money...

Have a great week, and I’ll see you all at Southwell on Thursday night. Or failing that, Ascot. Either’s good.

Safer gambling

We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.

If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.

Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.

Like what you've read?