The Weekend Starts Here: Peter Scargill's three things to look out for on Friday

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1 Will Dysart be dynamite at Cheltenham?

There has been very little attempt by trainer Fergal O’Brien to disguise his adoration of Dysart Enos, who heads for the 2m novice hurdle at Cheltenham today (12.05). 

"I'm very excited about running her and I'm very excited about her in general,” O’Brien said this week when asked about the unbeaten mare. 

You can understand why O’Brien, who is a Grade 1-winning trainer, is animated about Dysart Enos because last season she went unbeaten in three starts in bumpers, including a Grade 2 at Aintree. 

Switched to hurdles last month, she bolted up as the 1-7 favourite at Huntingdon and now takes on the boys as she bids to further cement her trainer’s view of her. 

With the well-regarded Beat The Bat, Meatloaf and Kintail in opposition, this should prove a proper test of the mare’s credentials.

2 Flat to the fore at Doncaster

An early start for anyone heading to Doncaster today as the inclusion of a Listed mares’ bumper has elongated the card to eight races and necessitated an 11.25 beginning to it. 

The Listed bet365 Mares’ Open National Hunt Flat Race (2.50) is the penultimate contest and features two runners from Flat stables in Newmarket.

One Colour is seeking her third win for trainer Rae Guest, who picked up the four-year-old unraced from Godolphin last year, while Solid Silver represents Sir Mark Prescott. 

After a six-and-a-half year absence, Prescott resumed having runners in bumpers last October and sent out the shortest-priced winner of a race for over 120 years when Whatawit landed a two-runner bumper at Ffos Las in May at 1-100 for Classic-winning breeder Gary Robinson.

3 Will absence make the heart grow fonder?

Doncaster’s card is also notable for the return to action of not one, not two, not three, not four, but five horses who have been off the course for over 500 days.

Three of them – Athgarvan, Real Rewards and Mattie Ross – take on each other in the 2m3f novice hurdle (11.55) as they seek to get their careers back on the road. 

Athgarvan has been off the longest having last run 663 days ago in a bumper at Newbury. Mattie Ross is not far behind having been away from action for 649 days, while Real Rewards last ran in May 2022 – 593 days ago.

Other long-absent horses returning at Doncaster are Inedit Du Mee, back after 605 days in the 3m novice handicap hurdle (12.30), and Eric Carmen, who is running for the first time in 590 days in the 2m3f novice handicap hurdle (1.40). 

Of course, while all of these horses have been absent for a long time, none quite match the time away of Elixir D’Ainay, who made a winning comeback at Punchestown on Tuesday after 1,372 days off.

Friday's previews:

1.15 Cheltenham: 'We like him a lot' - Doddiethegreat looks to defend unbeaten record on handicap debut

2.25 Cheltenham: 'We think we've got him right' - trainers' assessment and Paul Kealy's verdict on competitive veterans' heat 

3.00 Cheltenham: Who wins a cross-country cracker as Minella Indo, Galvin, Latenightpass and Gesskille prepare to meet? 

3.35 Cheltenham: Will White Rhino continue his remarkable progress or has the handicapper finally caught up after 49lb rise over ten months? 

The Front Runner is our unmissable email newsletter available exclusively to Members' Club Ultimate subscribers. Chris Cook, a four-time Racing Reporter of the Year award winner, provides his take on the day's biggest stories and tips for the upcoming racing every morning from Monday to Friday. Not a Members' Club Ultimate subscriber? Click here to join today and also receive our Ultimate Daily emails plus our full range of fantastic website and newspaper content.