ROCK STEADY posted a useful performance on his seasonal return and is the one to be with in this evening's 32Red.com Handicap at Kempton.

The three-year-old will be having just his sixth start and gives the impression trainer Roger Charlton has plenty left to work with in this son of Intikhab.

Out of luck in three maiden starts, Rock Steady hit the target on his first handicap spin, winning at Wolverhampton in October before checking out on his winter break.

Charlton clearly had to exercise plenty of patience in the interim as Rock Steady did not actually return until last month, stepping up to a mile for the first time.

He was tackling an extra furlong but was motoring in the final furlong and only narrowly missed out on second place.

The handicapper raised him 1lb for that run but he remains on a mark of 79 and looks a likely type – hence today's nap selection, with George Baker having the ride.

SOLO HUNTER can regain the winning thread despite having to race off a career-high mark in the Grosvenor Casino At Great Yarmouth Handicap at the seaside track.

The five-year-old has made steady progress since switching from the care of David Evans to Martyn Meade's yard, although his relative consistency means he now has to race off a perch of 89 – some 17lb higher than at that start of last year.

One win and a handful of placed efforts, including second in a decent Newmarket heat, saw him jumping up the ladder and while he has yet to win off this kind of weight, he has still been running with credit.

The only truly disappointing effort he has posted of late was when he was last at Chester back in May and, while no excuses were found, it may just have been the unique nature of the Roodee was not to his liking as his previous efforts at the venue have also been merely so-so.

His recent third at Sandown may be a better measure of Solo Hunter though and, with Frankie Dettori booked to ride, Meade is surely signalling his intention.

EJBAAR has a mixed bag of results to his name but the Blaythwayt Plate Handicap at Bath's evening meeting looks an excellent chance to add another win to his tally.

Robert Cowell's charge has struck once in nine starts so far, triumphing by 10 lengths over a mile at Pontefract back in July last year.

He was hardly heavily campaigned after that success, notching up a run a month through until October, without actually getting his head in front again.

It was interesting that Ed Dunlop steadily dropped back in trip with him before he was eventually shipped out of the yard for 30,000 guineas at the end of the season.

Even more intriguing was Cowell's decision to start at five furlongs on Ejbaar's return and the plan nearly paid off as he was beaten just over a length at Sandown last month.

Cowell sticks at the minimum trip and Ejbaar, who has Fergus Sweeney on board today, remains a horse of some potential.