One runner at Catterick on Thursday

Handicap debut for Danced Every Dance having completed the mandatory three (unplaced) novice hurdle runs. She has been rated on the best of those runs when beaten 6 lengths at Kelso in early December over 2m 5f. Now rated OR101, she is stepped up to 3m 1f in the 0-105 mares' handicap hurdle at Catterick where the going is good.

At first glance, this may only be a modest handicap hurdle but there are several progressive or improving types, in form horses plus some lightly raced sorts too. Yeah, we may have picked a cracker for our mare's handicap debut!

Any randomly placed pin by a randomly selected adult could pick out a likely winner but as most of our raceday previews focus on the main challengers to our runner, here you go....

Micky Hammond's co-top weight Raddle and Hum is a lightly raced, in form, progressive mare who came up against another progressive type (Theflickeringlight) when runner up on Boxing Day. Further improvement is most likely........
Another top weight, Keep The River, caught the eye last time when a fast finishing, though distant, 3rd at Newcastle on soft ground. Unfortunately for the young jockey, the run also caught the eye of the Stewards who were not happy that all reasonable and permissible measures had been employed and issued the jockey with a 10 day ban. Now back on her favoured sound surface, and running off the same mark, Keep The River will go close.

Versifier is another suited by a sound surface and has shown steady improvement in her two runs for William Bethell since leaving Oliver Sherwood. She looks the type to be in the final shake-up.
Constante Via has also changed yards this season from Nigel T-D to Jonjo, and had a wind op prior to her seasonal debut for the new trainer in November. A progressive mare last season, her best form came over 3 miles on good ground. Must have a great chance with young Jonjo (a conditional for this season although he's ridden out his claim) in the saddle.

Which is another slick link into an in-form horse in Massini's Dream, the ride of Welsh Grand National winning jockey Jack Tudor, who is still claiming 7lb. Another who is capable of better form than shown, she had two quick runs in December (the first was a close up 3rd) after a 14 month absence and may been seen to her best here.
Rebecca Menzies' stable has been among the winners recently, and although at a modest level her That's My Dubai has shown progressive form in 3 runs for her yard this autumn since crossing the Irish Sea.

And the list goes on........

Danced Every Dance is a tough mare and will be trying her best to be competitive in what is quite a hard race. There have been 3 or 4 of our runners in the last couple of weeks who've not performed as we'd hoped, so there is a little trepidation in that respect.
Anyway, Callum takes the ride and we hope the lads from Denholm Park Racing have a good day at the races.

Danced Every Dance at the head of the gallop