HOLIDAY COCKTAIL     (J. J. Quinn)

6 year old bay gelding     (Mister Baileys  – Bermuda Lily)     970-2120

As might be expected from the numbers, there is a pretty strong indicator for how things need to work for Holiday Cocktail. Stick him on a sharp or galloping track, and he is instantly legless. On an easy track form of 212 is very sociable indeed. In fairness to him, the ground has made a big difference as his stamina is very finite for a hurdler, and the early runs came with a bit of cut, testing him beyond the limit. A 95 length thrashing on his debut in a fairly ordinary race has been well and truly consigned to the history books. The only flop on better going was in a decent handicap at Cheltenham, which might have been asking a bit too much of Holiday Cocktail, rated a stone and a half above his winning mark. A fairly slick operator over the hurdles, it may be worth trying him over fences, where the slower pace will place less strain on his stamina. That first chase win can be celebrated by inventing a celebratory cocktail - vodka, pernod and curacao in a half of cider shandy. Scrumptious.

Handicap hurdle or chases up to 2m 1f on an easy track, on good or good to firm

JACKSONS PIER     (M. Scudamore)

8 year old bay gelding     (Accordion – Uhuru)     65/033-5

As anyone using a web search can find out, Uhuru is Swahili for Freedom. And the sire of this horse is Accordion. If he is being campaigned to free us all from the terror and oppression of accordion music, then long may he prosper. Something could, however, have been done a bit more imaginatively with the name. So far, the campaign for the eradication of the musical horror has been no more successful than Jacksons Pier's efforts on the racecourse, but in the case of the horse, lack of experience has held him back so far. His bumper debut was a fair enough sixth of seventeen - the first three, the eighth and ninth have all been winners since, and the rest of the top half of the field have been in the frame frequently. However, the selection was sent straight into three mile hurdles, and with dismal results, beaten 65 lengths at Worcester and double that Hereford. The tide began to turn his way with a fourth (promoted when the runner-up failed a drugs test) at Haydock, on heavy ground but dropped back to two and half miles. The form of this is again sound, with the miscreant winning twice after and the winner being a runner-up and an also ran at the Cheltenham Festival afterwards. With this being too much phaffing around over the small obstacles, it was chasing next, and a familiar theme. A solid third place ensued behind Milan Deux Mille (won his next three as well) and Matthew Muroto (placed three times afterwards), just ahead of Baodai (two wins, four seconds since). This winter's comeback run shaped like a gentle loosener and Jacksons Pier's turn to deliver. Even if he fails, all the evidence is that we should seriously consider backing anything that finishers in front of or just behind him.

Handicap chases from 2m 3f to 2m 6f on soft or heavy

RUAIRI     (Suzy Smith)

8 year old bay gelding     (Mister Mat – By Golly)     1/756

It has taken a while for Ruairi to get any form of inclusion as when he started his career in bumpers at Kempton (won) and Cheltenham (ran fairly well), it seemed that he was destined to be running at tracks that are outside the scope of the lists. However,  a minor surprise was in store as he went directly into chases after those runs, and also dropped down to the regular people's venues. His first try was a bit disappointing, as he did nothing wrong and could manage only fifth, boosted when Le Briar Soul (third) won on Boxing Day. After that he faced a stiff test in one of the Plumpton bonus qualifiers and could not handle Kruguyrova, Its A Dream, William Bonney and Pauillac. The defeat was not as crushing as the bare form, as Ruairi was eased when beaten, and there are definite prospects of him doing much better when qualified for handicaps. And should the chasing not work out, he could always switch back to hurdles. Although there is a question mark as to whether he stayed an extended 2m 6f  at Market Rasen, two miles next time did look a bit too sharp. So far there has been no signs of a left/right, undulating/flat, soft/fast bias.

Handicap hurdles or chases between 2m 3f and 2m 6f

Ruairi spots the final fence at Plumpton and considers the possibilities of falling - concluding that it is indeed a long way to tip a Ruairi.

TARATEENO     (P. G. Murphy)

5 year old bay gelding     (Kayf Tara - Shalateeno)     0867

There may well be an SMS competition on the site for this horse - predict his next finishing position by texting your name and favourite type of rodent to 0867 followed by where you think Tarateeno will end up. Texts cost £2 a letter and the prize is the long lost Sedgefield keyring. But what of Tarateeno himself? Well, he got a truly ignominious stuffing in his first bumper, but has since shaped with a bit more promise in three hurdle runs, all over two and a half miles. Another learning process at Chepstow was followed by some harder work at the same venue, when the margin of defeat was just under twenty lengths. Next stop was Lingfield, where he ran really well to the third last, only to blunder and drop out of the picture. To date Tarateeno has managed to do the first part of the race quite well, and he is primed, hopefully, to go through the second half of the race when he tackles handicaps. The only time he has raced on faster than good to soft so far was the hurdles debut, but there is a sneaky feeling that any preferences hinted at so far may only have been accidents, and are not to be relied upon for when it gets serious.

Handicap hurdles, rated up to 105

THINK OF THE MONEY     (D. Burchell)

8 year old bay mare     (Alderbrook - Pipers Reel)      06807357-1P1863

It took a few runs to work out Think Of The Money, but as she has been kept pretty busy, it seemed like no more than the blink of an eye. The first five runs were as anonymous as the numbers imply - the sixth being in a six runner race, and her early hurdle adventures coming in sellers. However, things picked up next time, where she was placed. A 34 length beating was not good, but the prospect of future dividends were raised as the winner won by the proverbial country mile and our heroine was competing for 'best of the rest' until the line. A couple of flops later and a visor was tried with instant results. After having been campaigned as a slogger in the mud, she finally came good over two miles on fast ground, in a seller. After a real stinker next time, she went back into sellers and won again, being bought in for over £7,000. This prompted her attentions to be switched to chasing, and although the three goes have been in vain, notably due to early mistakes, Think Of The Money is improving at it. First impressions are that she needs a left-handed, level track, but since the crucial visor was fitted, every race has been on such a venue.

Handicap chases up to 2m 3f on good to firm, with a visor.

Think Of The Money decides to give her connections plenty of other things to think about at Stratford

VIAL DE KERDEC     (M. Bradstock)

5 year old bay/brown gelding     (Poliglote - Love For Ever)     F3-75

A winner on the flat in France, he has been a a bit of a let down as a hurdler, despite having been a Cheltenham Festival entry last spring. Perhaps, after coming to grief at the first on his debut (when 16/1 for what has proved to be a very decent novice hurdle at Taunton) Vial De Kerdec lost his bottle a bit. His follow up third was by a very long way in a four horse race, and on the reappearance this season, Ouzbeck, the winner, is the only name that grabs the eye in the race he was beaten in. On Boxing Day, things livened up a bit as he went into a handicap and took a dramatic step up in trip. There was no immediate payday, as he encountered some well treated rivals, and any eighteen runner handicap has a stench of lottery about it. Fifth was not bad, but the margin of defeat was a discouraging 28 lengths. The way the race unfolded, with Vial De Kerdec bustled along early, but staying on fairly well, suggests that he can get to grips with a smaller field and his current rating of 91 is below his potential.

Novice or selling handicap hurdles over 2m 5f or more