I want to take on El Namoose in the closing bumper (5:20) at Huntingdon later today. It is notoriously difficult for those penalised runners to succeed in these contests. The historic record of this race supports this theory, albeit not unequivocally and Purple Bay, a similar sort from the same stable, was beaten at odds-on carrying one such penalty last season.

Charlie Longsdon won that one and might this year with Kiteney Wood, an ex-Irish pointer, though something tells me that the Oliver Sherwood beast, Kilgeel Hill, about which I've read good reports, will prevail. You don't get much better family genetics than Oscar (sire) and Executive Perk (dam-sire). Whatever happens today, I suspect we will hear a lot more about Kilgeel Hill.

Seolan is of major interest in the 7-furlong handicap (3:40) at Leicester back on her favoured soft ground. Roger Charlton's lightly raced type won her first two starts in Ireland (for Mr Prendergast and Mr Deegan) on bad ground and then twice proved unsuccessful across the pond on much faster going. With Danehill Dancer as her dam-sire, cut is almost certainly a pre-requisite and there will be plenty of the stuff at Leicester, I'm sure. Buick rides. The one black mark is a 409-day absence from the track.

Racehorsingman