Camusdarach has shown enough in three outings in maiden and novice company to suggest he can make a successful handicap debut in the It’s Time To Turn To Talksport Nursery at Newcastle.
Fifth of seven on his introduction at Epsom in mid-July, Mark Johnston's youngster was subsequently gelded and did not run again until appearing at Newcastle last month.
Whether it was the operation, a switch to the all-weather or a combination of both, Camusdarach produced a much improved performance to finish third – and he was better again when beaten just a neck into second place at Lingfield less than a fortnight ago.
He may well be one to do better over longer than this seven furlongs in time, but he should still be good enough to make the most of what looks a workable opening mark of 72.
The Richard Fahey-trained Great State is capable of giving weight and a beating to his rivals in the Talksport Download The App Novice Stakes.
The Havana Grey juvenile confirmed the promise of his debut third at Wolverhampton in early November when returning to Dunstall Park to open his account a fortnight ago.
It is not easy to quantify what that form is worth, but the second and third had previously won well in defeat and Great State appears to have been found an excellent opportunity to double his tally.
Barenboim is expected to make it two wins in five days in the BetUK'S Acca Club £5 Free Bet Handicap.
The son of Golden Horn has won three of his five starts since leaving Fergal O'Brien to join David O'Meara and had plenty in hand when powering clear at Kempton on Wednesday.
It is no surprise the four-year-old has been turned out under a 5lb penalty as the handicapper is likely to hand him a much stiffer rise and he should prove very hard to beat.
Big Dutchie might finally come good in the Scu Selects Expert Tips By BetUK Handicap.
Zero wins from 17 career starts might not inspire much confidence, but Phillip Makin's inmate has been placed on four occasions, including in his last two races.
Both of those efforts came at Wolverhampton, with a third-placed finish in early October followed by a runner-up effort behind odds-on favourite Lethal Touch later that month.
Big Dutchie is clearly no star, but appears in good heart at present, which cannot be said for many of his rivals at Gosforth Park.
With Carlisle's fixture frozen off, British jumps fans will be keeping everything crossed Southwell's fixture survives the cold snap.
On what is a low-key card, the best bet is the Sue Smith-trained Treshnish in the Join Vickers.Bet Free Bet Club Handicap Chase.
The Bingley handler has taken a while to find form this season, but has done so in the last few weeks, with Treshnish a case in point.
The nine-year-old made a promising reappearance when third at Kelso and improved from that to win handsomely at Hexham.
A 5lb rise gives him every chance of following up.
SELECTIONS:
CORK: 12.15 Blood Destiny, 12.45 Arctic Bresil, 1.15 Letsbeclearaboutit, 1.45 Impervious, 2.20 Energumene, 2.50 Emily Roebling, 3.20 Light Parade.
NEWCASTLE: 12.08 Vertice, 12.38 CAMUSDARACH (NAP), 1.08 Great State, 1.38 Barenboim, 2.10 Big Dutchie, 2.43 Kraken Power, 3.13 Peachey Carnehan.
PUNCHESTOWN: 12.30 Invictus Machin, 1.00 Bodhisattva, 1.30 Deeply Superficial, 2.00 Galopin Des Champs, 2.35 Appreciate It, 3.05 Ciao Bella, 3.35 Mel Monroe.
SOUTHWELL: 12.23 Catlin, 12.53 Treshnish, 1.23 Borderline, 1.53 Idealdes Villerets, 2.28 Pillar Of Steel, 2.58 Mexico, 3.28 Midnight Callisto.
DOUBLE: Camusdarach and Barenboim.
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