Be bold and back Bastiman's well-treated sprinter

Run-of-the-mill handicappers will normally regain winning form when they drop to a certain level in the weights, and Be Bold could prove a case in point in division one of Redcar's Racing UK Day Pass Just £10 Apprentice Handicap (5.00).

The four-year-old son of Assertive has drawn a blank in eight starts for Rebecca Bastiman since moving from Richard Hannon's stable last winter but, as a result, his handicap mark has plunged 14lb from 79 to 65.

While it would be an overreaction to get too excited by a literal interpretation of Be Bold's head victory over the now 100-rated filly Lucy The Painter (Group 3-placed this season) in Class 5 company at Newbury last August, it does show what he's capable of at a minor level.