Tuesday cards

Tuesday usually has the poorest cards of the week and today is certainly no exception, indeed it is hard to imagine lower quality racing than that on offer at Leicester and Catterick over jumps today and on the all-weather track at Lingfield - where incidentally tomorrow´s N.H. meeting has already been abandoned as the turf track is waterlogged. Best race there today is the 2 mile handicap at 17.10 CET. Feb Thirtyfirst (Charles Bishop), one of two runners for Sheena West, both also hurdles winners, has been in good form this year with a close third at Kempton last week following two wins over this CD, but our preference is for top-weight Keep Kicking (Simon Dow/ Jim Crowley), who is not the most consistent but came back to form at Chelmsford last time and is only 3 lbs higher today.

There are only 3 runners in the novice chase at 16.50 at Leicester; Puffin Billy (Oliver Sherwood/ Leighton Aspell) has failed to complete the last twice, but on all known form he is far superior to his two opponents, and if he jumps round safely, ought to win this easily enough.

AP McCoy is taking a day off, but Jonjo O´Neill has sent three horses up to Catterick with Richie McLernon to partner them, and they must all have decent prospects: Gold Medal at 16.00, Less Time half an hour later and Saint Lucy another half hour on. Richard Fahey rarely runs his horses over jumps, but when he does they have to be taken seriously, which gives debutant Woodbridge (Andrew Tinkler) an obvious Chance in the maiden hurdle at 15.30, Fahey had 4 winners yesterday at Wolverhampton, so the stable could hardly be in better form.