AURORE D’ESTRUVAL, the rising star of John Quinn’s jumping team, makes the long journey to Sandown from her North Yorkshire base today to be teamed up once again with Tony McCoy, who won a Listed hurdle on her at Wetherby in early-November.

Since then, Aurore d’Estruval, who joined Quinn from France last season, has finished a mighty second to Irving in the Grade 1 Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle, again over two miles which would be an absolute minimum trip for her.

The step up to two-and-a-half miles in this afternoon’s £20,000 32Red.com Mares’ Hurdle promises to suit the Norton five-year-old perfectly and, although she has to concede weight all round in a race which also features another North Yorkshire runner in the Tim Easterby-trained Run Ructions Run, she is the highest-rated mare in the line-up.

The Grade 1 David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle at Cheltenham’s Festival meeting in March is the ultimate target for Aurore d’Estruval. She should be capable of taking this Listed event en route and enhancing her reputation in the process.

McCoy promises to enjoy a lucrative afternoon.

He rides a fascinating newcomer for John Ferguson in the opening 32Red On The App Store Juvenile Hurdle in Arabian Revolution - a well- bred 82-rated horse off the Flat - while, in the 32Red Handicap Hurdle, he will be aboard Amore Alato for Nick Williams.

A half-length winner on this course early last month, Amore Alato can be expected to have benefited from that outing, his first since April. Off only a 3lb higher mark today, he ought to go well.

The £40,000 Grade 1 32Red Tolworth Hurdle takes pride of place on the Sandown card and L’Ami Serge promises to be hard to beat.

Nicky Henderson’s charge has gone from strength to strength since arriving in Britain from France.

He is two-from-two for his Lambourn trainer, who placed him to win at Newbury in November and at Ascot, in Grade 2 company, last month.

York Press:

STRENGTH TO STRENGTH: L'Ami Serge

Both those wins were gained by commanding margins and the five-year-old promises to be a tough nut to crack in his hat-trick bid. Barry Geraghty again has the mount.

Also worthy of attention are the lightly-weighted Jumps Road (1.50) and the hat-trick seeking Bertie Boru (3.35).

At Newcastle, Nathan Moscrop will be reunited with Yorkist, on whom he struck up a good association over hurdles last season, in the S V Rutter Novices’ Chase.

The gelding, trained by Brian Ellison, who sent out two winners at Catterick on New Year’s Day, gained his first win over fences at his second attempt at Carlisle just over a month ago.

Under a penalty, this race will be no cakewalk, especially with the useful Runswick Royal in the line-up, but Moscrop’s 5lb allowance will come in handy and Yorkist is napped to follow up.

Ellison has two reasonable chances, with Soudain and Moyode Wood, in the featured Vertem Asset Management Handicap Chase, but preference is for High Ron to defy top weight.

Caroline Bailey’s gelding was well beaten at Southwell in the middle of last month, but that was his first run since July.

Winner of five of his 15 starts over fences, he is a very capable horse on his day.

Hester Flemen should be hard to beat in the opening Straightline Construction Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle.

Trained by Donald McCain, this massive seven-year-old won by 24 lengths in a bumper at Carlisle last month.

Admittedly, she had little to beat that day, but she had likewise won a point-to-point in Ireland by a wide margin last January. She looks a useful prospect.

Captain Sharpe produced an improved performance on his latest visit to this course last month when getting up in the shadow of the post to record a 16-1 success and provide his amateur rider Tommy Dowson with his first winner under Rules.

Dowson rides him in the Pinpoint Recruitment Handicap Hurdle and, although Captain Sharpe will find this tougher, he is not to be underestimated.

 

TOM'S TIPS

Sandown today: 12.10 Arabian Revolution, 12.40 Aurore d’Estruval, 1.15 Golanova, 1.50 Jumps Road, 2.25 L’Ami Serge, 3.00 Amore Alato, 3.35 Bertie Boru.

Newcastle today: 12.00 Hester Flemen, 12.30 Yorkist (NAP), 1.05 Milan Flyer, 1.40 High Ron, 2.15 Captain Sharpe, 2.50 Boric, 3.25 Still Acting.

Today’s other meetings: Lingfield and Wincanton.

Tomorrow’s meetings: Plumpton and Southwell.