SMART apprentice Ian Brennan, who resumed winning ways after rejoining his former boss John Quinn aboard Forced Family Fun at Newcastle on Saturday, can maintain his momentum at Redcar today by doubling his tally for the new Flat season.

Brennan rides Elusive George in the Follow Redcarracing On Facebook & Twitter Apprentice Maiden Stakes and the Norton charge is fancied to make it third-time-lucky after finishing runner-up his two previous outings.

Quinn saw him finish a short-head second on his debut at Wolverhampton before Elusive George went down by three-parts of a length at Kempton last month. This race represents a good opportunity for him, despite the presence of Roger Varian's equally promising Yagheer, and also provides Brennan with another chance to shine.

The experienced claimer looked to be going places a couple of years ago with Quinn, but he elected to fly the nest and went to Australia for a spell before returning to his native Ireland and riding with success there. He should do well again this season back in North Yorkshire.

The first qualifier for the Redcar Straight-Mile Championship has drawn a big field and Latin Charm makes plenty of appeal.

Trained at Newmarket by Marco Botti, the three-year-old broke his maiden over this course and distance on his second and final start last autumn. He could be capable of marked improvement this season and is not one to underestimate.

The opening Redcar Racecourse Cheapest Admission In Great Britain Maiden Auction Stakes looks ripe for picking for Paddy Again, trained by Bill Turner, who always has his juveniles well forward for the start of the campaign.

Paddy Again found only Cock Of The North too strong in the well-contested Brocklesby Stakes at Doncaster's curtain-raising meeting and that form has been franked already with third-placed Flyball winning at Leicester last week.

Paddy Again will have benefited from his Town Moor outing and with that run under his belt is going to be hard to beat.

Mick Channon's Rough Courte (3.20) showed enough last season to suggest a race of this nature would come her way, while Knight Owl (3.50), winner of his last two starts last season at Nottingham and Leicester, can continue to do well this term for Newmarket trainer James Fanshawe.

Over the sticks at Kelso, North Yorkshire trainer Mark Walford, who saddled his first winner since taking over at Sheriff Hutton from his father Tim on February 1 when Barleycorn Lady scored at Newcastle on Saturday, has a couple of good chances of adding to his tally.

Walford saddles Fentara in the £10,000 Sheena Cochrane Celebration Handicap Chase and this useful mare might finally gain her just desserts after knocking on the door for much of this term. Runner-up to Scotswell here on her latest start last month, she is fancied to go one better.

In the mcmillanfineart.com Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle, Walford saddles King Of Strings. A bumper winner last season, he has shown definite signs of promise over hurdles this term and, prior to finishing fourth at Musselburgh last time, he had finished a good second on this course.

 

Selections

Redcar today

2.20 Paddy Again, 2.50 Dodina, 3.20 Rough Courte, 3.50 Knight Owl, 4.20 Latin Charm, 4.50 Elusive George (NAP), 5.20 Zanouska.

Kelso today

2.00 Katachenko, 2.30 Landecker, 3.00 Edmund, 3.30 Bop Along, 4.00 Silk And Roses, 4.30 Fentara, 5.00 My Flora, 5.30 King Of Strings.

Today’s other meeting: Windsor.

Tomorrow’s meetings: Carlisle, Pontefract and Southwell.