3 poor meetings again today

with Fontwell abandoned, the only jumps racing today comes from Catterick. There has not been nrearly so much rain in Yorkshire as in the South, and the ground at Catterick is drying out, so recent form on heavy ground should be treated with caution. On the other hand, horses with preference for good ground may run much better than theijr recent form would indicate, and we therefore give a chance to The Weatherman (Donald McCain/ Jason Maguire) in the handicap hurdle at 16.45 CET. He is on a long losing run but is now well handicapped and a return to better ground should suit. Old Patavium (Edwin Tuer/ Tony Kelly) could be one of the main dangers in a very tricky race; he has a good record here and also prefers decent going. Maguire can also take the opening selling hurdle on Barneys Honour (Gordon Elliott), whose Irish form should be good enough for him to score in this weak company.
Easily ther best race at today´s two all-weather tracks is the 10 furlongs handicap at 19.30 this evening at Kempton. With 14 runners, the draw will face a tough task. The draw right on the inside rail is also not ideal, but with a very smart jockey booked, Spa´s Dancer (James Eustace/ Ryan Moore) must have fair chance , although he is possibly better at a mile. However in our view Epic Battle (William Haggas/ Liam Jones) ticks all the right boxes and he is our selection. Most of the runners in the handicaps are very exposed, but the 3yo handicap at 17.30 at Lingfield looks interesting, with all the runners having shown decent form already this year. Mark Johnston and Joe Fanning are in great form, and they can take this with bottom weight Outbacker, who ran very green when winning here in January and can possibly step on that form.

Betting forecast:
1. Race: Barneys Honour - Waltz Darling - Lac Sacre
2. Race: Tiny Dancer - Harris - Swingbridge
3. Race: Gold Chain - Morning With Ivan - Flawless Filly
4. Race: Newdane Dancer - De Chissler - Douchkirk
5. Race: Dark And Dangerous - Endeavor - Indigo Island
6. Race: Silk And Roses - Rosie Du Berlais - Another Dark Rum
7. Race: Molly Cat - Georgian Firebird - Diligent