Wednesday racing tips from Nottingham, Catterick, Southwell and Kempton

NOTTINGHAM

Race 2 – DAWN VEGA 4/1

DAWN VEGA then looks able to give the same trainer and jockey another success in the second at Nottingham this afternoon. The three-year-old steps up to 10 furlongs having looked more competitive over longer trips in his five runs to date. Soft ground has also looked to his liking and he has the benefit of a run under his belt already this season as some rivals makes their seasonal debuts.

Race 3 – FIX YOU 15/8

FIX YOU is also worth following next up in this handicap test. The daughter of Night Of Thunder made light work of testing conditions when scoring on her racecourse debut at Thirsk in the spring of last year and was not beaten far in a French Listed event next time. There was not much wrong with her first start in the best part of a year when narrowly beaten at Kempton recently and that should leave her spot-on for her handicap debut, with an opening mark of 77 perhaps underestimating her potential.

Race 5 – TRUESHAN 10/11

TRUESHAN looks set to encounter his favoured conditions when he bids for back-to-back victories in the in what could be the best bet on this Nottingham card. Having rounded off 2021 by winning the Goodwood Cup, the Prix du Cadran and the Long Distance Cup, Alan King’s star stayer made a foot-perfect start to last season in this one-mile-six-furlong Listed event. Unsuitable ground meant he missed the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot, meaning he instead carried top-weight to victory in the Northumberland Plate on the all-weather at Newcastle. The seven-year-old subsequently finished third behind Kyprios and Stradivarius when defending his Goodwood Cup crown, while a subsequent short-priced defeat in the Doncaster Cup only strengthened King’s view his charge is nowhere near as effective on a sound surface. With a little more ease underfoot, Trueshan got back on the winning trail on Champions Day at Ascot and should find the ground to his liking on his reappearance.

CATTERICK

Race 3 – QUERCUS ROBUR 4/1

QUERCUS ROBUR looks sure to go well at Catterick in this handicap. Bought out of Richard Fahey’s yard for 26,000 guineas in October, the four-year-old has since won twice and been placed twice from five starts to prove himself a sound purchase. He was a little keener than ideal over an extended two miles at Southwell last month, which probably cost him at the finish as he was beaten a length and a half into third place. Up a pound but down in trip for his return to the grass, Quercus Robur should go close.

KEMPTON

Race 5 – ARTICIAN 11/2

ARTICIAN is taken to complete his hat-trick on the all-weather at Kempton. Following placed efforts in January and February, the grey was not winning out of turn when bagging his first victory since joining Simon Dow at this track last month and a 3lb rise was not enough to stop him following up at Lingfield a fortnight ago. The five-year-old has been given another 5lb rise for his troubles, but is clearly in rude health and should prove hard to beat.

SOUTHWELL

Race 4 – LITTLE MISS DANTE 1/1

It is not difficult to make a case for the Olly Murphy-trained LITTLE MISS DANTE being the best bet on Southwell’s National Hunt card. The daughter of Kayf Tara was a hot favourite to make a successful bumper debut at Huntingdon in January, but was touched off by Dontyawantme. That form has a solid look to it, with the winner since placed in Listed company, and Little Miss Dante may not need to improve much to get off the mark.