WAARIF is worth following as he makes just his second British start in the sunbets.co.uk Handicap at Newcastle's evening meeting.

Formerly trained by Kevin Prendergast in Ireland, Waarif notched up one all-weather win in three maiden starts last year before being absent from action for well over a year.

The son of Arcano was snapped up for just 23,000 guineas at the end of last season and was subsequently gelded when he joined David O'Meara's team.

He then took a fair chunk of time to get back to the track, eventually reappearing at Newcastle last month when he turned in a fair performance to finish second on the back of a 15-month absence.

Waarif missed an intended run at Chelmsford at the end of October but clearly whatever troubled him that day was not too serious as he is back in action here.

The handicapper put him up 1lb for his return effort and Waarif looks capable of making his mark off that sort of rating as today's nap selection under Daniel Tudhope.

ECONOMIC CRISIS was beaten six lengths at Catterick on her latest start but she deserves a bit more credit for that run than first appears.

Alan Berry's charge hardly helped herself when she unshipped her rider in the preliminaries and perhaps the excitement of that mishap just told a bit as she got a bit left behind before making up ground in the finish.

Economic Crisis will be joining the 100 club in the 32Red.com Fillies' Handicap and while her return of 11 wins in 99 starts is hardly breathtaking, she is certainly capable of decent efforts on her day. James Sullivan has today's ride.

SHANTOU ROCK can claim his second victory over fences as Harry Skelton rides in the Integral Novices' Chase at Warwick.

Dan Skelton's inmate won three times and was second three times from eight starts over hurdles.

He fell on his final start of last season at Exeter but showed no scars from that tumble when winning as he liked on his chasing bow at Newton Abbot last month.

While he was clearly a very useful hurdler, he looks like making up into an even better horse over the larger obstacles and a second victory will earn him a tilt at some lofty targets.

JUST A THOUGHT takes an eye-catching hike in distance for the Hy-Kleen Of Warwick Novices' Hurdle, with Jonathan Moore in the saddle.

Second in a three-mile point-to-point back in April 2016, Rebecca Curtis' mare was a dual bumper winner last season before rounding off with third place in a Listed heat at Sandown in March.

She was second on her hurdles bow over nearly two and a half miles at Chepstow last month – but it is perhaps telling Just A Thought is now pitched in over three miles and two furlongs.

TWO SWALLOWS gets the nod as Nico de Boinville takes the reins in the TBA/EBF Mares' Beginners' Chase at Fontwell.

The seven-year-old was last seen winning over hurdles at Cheltenham in the spring and while a couple of her opponents achieved more over timber, this is a different discipline and Two Swallows could relish it most.