Mares' Novices' Hurdle entries meet at Market Rasen and James Owen improver goes for six-timer - punting pointers for Tuesday

Punting pointers from each of today's race meetings…

Market Rasen: Mares Novices' Hurdle entries clash

There's Cheltenham Festival interest in the 2m½f mares' novice hurdle (2.20) with two runners with entries going head to head.

Bluey and Siog Geal are 33-1 for the Ryanair Mares' Novices' Hurdle next month and could take a crucial step towards that in a race won by smart mares Kateira, Marsh Wren and Martello Sky in recent years.

It's a second clash between the six-year-olds after Bluey, for Emma Lavelle, finished second and the Fergal O'Brien-trained Siog Geal fourth behind Cheltenham-bound Jubilee Alpha at Windsor's Winter Million meeting last month. Only a length separated them and they set the standard.

O'Brien also runs Game On Babe, seventh on her stable debut in a mares' bumper at the track's last meeting. The trainer's daughter, Fern, rides the daughter of Soldier Of Fortune with stable jockey Johnny Burke partnering Siog Geal, who already has Cheltenham experience through her second-placed effort in a Listed bumper in November.

Market Rasen stat: trainer to watch

Fergal O'Brien is 7-23 in bumpers at Market Rasen and looks to continue his fine record with Espresso Milan in the finale (5.02).

Espresso Milan17:02 Market Rasen

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Jky: Jonathan Burke Tnr: Fergal O'Brien

Taunton: can Shearer strike again to set up Cheltenham tilt?

February has been an excellent month for the McNeill family as the owners have enjoyed Listed victories at Huntingdon and Exeter with Califet En Vol and Fingle Bridge respectively.

Shearer made a superb successful hunter chase debut for the McNeills on the same day as Califet En Vol's win in the Sidney Banks, beating last-time-out winner and 6-4 favourite Angels Breath by 37 lengths.

That made it three wins in a row for the nine-year-old, albeit the hat-trick was completed 601 days after his last win at Aintree. The son of Flemensfirth is talented, having won a Cheltenham novice hurdle in October 2022 and he is being aimed at the same track for next month's St James's Place Festival Challenge Cup Open Hunters' Chase at the festival.

Paul Nicholls' daughter, Olive, rides Shearer in Taunton's finale (4.45) and the trainer said: "I'm trying to qualify him for Olive to ride. He has to be first or second in another hunter chase before the end of the month after winning well at Ffos Las."

Wolverhampton: six-timer seeker

No horse has won more races on the Flat this year than High Court Judge and he bids to make it 6-6 in the 1m4f handicap.

The James Owen-trained five-year-old has won twice over the course and distance as well as Southwell, Lingfield and at Newcastle on Saturday.

Warren Fentiman takes over from Hector Crouch with all Flat races this week restricted to riders who have ridden less than 30 winners in the last year, and he runs off a rating of 70 due to his 5lb penalty for his success at the weekend. That mark is 24lb higher than when his winning run began at Wolverhampton in January and the son of Kitten's Joy was effectively beaten off a rating of 39 over this trip at Southwell in November when factoring in Taryn Langley's claim.

Starfighter, bidding for his third course-and-distance win of the season, is the only one of High Court Judge's seven rivals with winning form this year.