Away From The Spotlight: Horses to follow over jumps this week

Horse Racing

Mon June 08, 2026 · 2h ago

David Massey signs off with his final piece until Summer Plate day at Market Rasen - check out this week's jumpers of interest.

The last of these for a while, as there’s not a lot to get excited about until Summer Plate Day at Market Rasen but fear not Away fans, I’ll be doing a Market Rasen Special on the Thursday before the big day itself. Never mind the July Festival, only one place to be next month.

Nothing to report on Monday, but Tuesday sees Southwell back on the agenda.

We kick off with a tricky little handicap chase at 14:30 but I’m hoping No More No can win again for my good friend Andy Weller. He landed a bit of a touch with him on his chasing debut here last year, winning by no less than thirty-one lengths, but that was off the back of an absence and he can clearly go well fresh. He’s got more to do from a 13lb higher mark here, but I’d be surprised if they have found his ceiling as yet, and even off his current mark he still gets to race in bottom grade. I’d be hopeful he can win again.

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The next looks like another Skelton benefit as they continue their quest to beat Martin Pipe’s longstanding record as Beorma seeks her fourth victory in ten days; at some point her busy schedule is going to catch up with her (and others that are similarly being kept on the go for the yard - that could be something that punters could use to their advantage at some point this summer) but guessing when is tricky. Maybe Walk The Plank might be the one to give her something to think about here; she won a a poor contest at Huntingdon but ran well enough at Market Rasen over their extended 17f last time, perhaps finding even that a bit too far, and back to a bare two miles here will suit.

Papillondelunmiere won’t be winning the maiden hurdle at 16:00 but you should have him in your trackers with a three-mile handicap hurdle (or maybe chase?) in mind once handicapped. Placed in a few point-to-points a couple of years ago, looking all about stamina, he’s getting his mark racing at the minimum trip and after today, will have a mark to go to work with. He’ll be of a lot more interest then.

Fighting Falcon (17:05) is going to take some stopping if in the same form as when winning at Uttoxeter last month, he looked a much improved horse that day, the cheekpieces seemingly working the oracle, but we see a modern-day 0-100 hero in the lucky last at 17:35, namely Anthony Day’s evergreen 13yo Stripe Of Honour.

Three wins from 35 starts tells you he’s no world-beater, and yet, if you’re a loyal sort and have backed him on every one of his 35 hurdle starts you’re in front to the tune of around £1100 quid to £10 level stakes. All he does is stay, slowly, and I have no doubt that he’ll need this first start of the year, but he’ll win one again this summer and is more than likely to turn up in the Town Plate - aka the Run For The Sausages - at Newmarket later in the year, a race in which he makes a regular appearance. He’s a horse I love dearly, and I look forward to watching him try his best again this term.

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Fontwell on Wednesday is likely to see ground somewhere between good to soft and soft, and that leads me to think Footloose Man (15:00) has a good chance of following up his recent course victory with another one. The reason given for the improvement was him settling better with an easy lead, and a similar scenario might well unfold here. The two horses he beat that day had both been in previous winning form and it looks decent for the grade, plus ground with cut in it is no bother to him whatsoever. Four wins at Fontwell show a liking for the track and for a horse that knows how to win races, a mark of 92 still looks more than workable.

Maestrow (16:30) got a mention as a likely improver for going handicapping at Uttoxeter last week but he didn’t take up the engagement. He hasn’t shown a much so far, but has looked a handicap project from the word go for Ben Pauling, and this stiff track, particularly with a bit of cut in it, should be ideal. The dam (who was also trained by Pauling for a while) was a point-to-point winner and he’s bred more for stamina than speed. This is a weak contest and very few of them have shown any form on good to soft or slower (A Tickatickatiming probably has the best of it, and would be a danger if turning up); he would need to be no worldbeater to take this.

I’d not be surprised to see some form of headgear tried on Ben Clarke’s Good Girl Rachel in the last at 17:00, as she looked like she might benefit from it after her handicap debut run at Ffos Las last time out. Upped a mile in trip there, she was on-and-off the bridle throughout but stuck at it well enough and was within hailing distance of the winner at the finish. She looks a thorough stayer, so 3m2f on soft ground could yet eke out a bit more improvement; keep an eye out to see whether that headgear is applied, as I’d be keener if so.

Couple at Worcester on Thursday worth a mention. Emerald Time (20:17) caught the eye on handicap debut at Aintree last month and could go close for the new partnership of Dom Elsworth and Ryan Hatch if he can be persuaded to settle a bit better, and the more rain the better for Kom Tu Voudrais in the lucky last at 20:53.

She bumped into the well-treated and back-to-form Il Va De Soi at Warwick last time, but faces an easier task here.

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