Recession Proof makes a return journey from North Yorkshire to Berkshire tomorrow to bid for major honours at Newbury, at a rescheduled meeting, following last Saturday’s dramatic events, which saw two horses die in the paddock from suspected electrocution.

While the racing world still awaits the results of the investigation into the tragedy, the course has been passed fit to host one of their major meetings of the winter, which was abandoned after one race on Saturday.

Although efforts to get the meeting re-staged at such short notice are to be applauded, prize money for the three Graded races has been significantly reduced.

Recession Proof, trained at Norton by John Quinn, goes for the Grade 3 Totesport Trophy Hurdle, now worth £60,000, reduced from £120,000, and is fancied, just as he was in this column last weekend, to make a bold bid in this fiercely competitive handicap.

The gelding has proved a significantly talented recruit to hurdling, winning two of his three races this season, plus a specially-designed bumpers event at Southwell, which was run to accomodate jumpers at the height of the bad weather.

Quinn believes Recession Prooof, who has a choice of three engagements at next month’s Cheltenham Festival, to be capable of winning a major handicap and Dougie Costello’s mount is clearly one for the shortlist.

Fellow Norton trainer Brian Ellison will also be strongly represented by both Bothy and Palomar, who have the ability to figure in the money. The first of the Graded races is the Aon Chase, in which Nicky Henderson’s Riverside Theatre, runner-up to stablemate Long Run in the King George at Kempton on Boxing Day, makes stacks of appeal, while in the Game Spirit Chase, French Opera, also trained by Henderson, is a tentative selection.

At Lingfield tomorrow, the nap selection is awarded to Ilissos in the Blue Square Maiden Stakes.

Trained at Newmarket by Jeremy Noseda, who is a dab hand at winning this type of race, the three-year-old finished third over this course and distance on his seasonal reappearance last month when looking as though the experience would not be lost on him.

He should be wiser tomorrow and is expected to show his rivals the way home.

William Jarvis has done a super job on Aquilifer, who won three races on this course last month.

The Newmarket gelding is back for more in the bluesq.com Handicap and, although his rating has gone up 21lb since the start of his winning run, he will surely be hard to beat yet again.

Malton trainer Richard Fahey sends two runners to Lingfield and his best chance appears to be with Emerald Girl (2.55), a three time winner, who drops into selling company. Jimmy Quinn has the mount.

Setter’s Princess (4.05) won so well at Wolverhampton last time out that she is deserving of respect in her follow up bid, while Midnight Rider (4.40) showed enough on turf last season to give him an outstanding chance on his return.


Racing selections

Newbury (TV races)
12.45 Riverside Theatre, 1.15 French Opera, 1.50 Recession Proof.

Lingfield
1.45 Orchard Supreme, 2.20 Charles Darwin, 2.55 Emerald Girl, 3.30 Ilisoss (NAP), 4.05 Setter’s Princess, 4.40 Midnight Rider, 5.10 Aquilifer.

Tomorrow’s other meetings:
Fakenham Southwell and Wolverhampton.

Today’s meetings:
Ffos Las, Kelso, Southwell and Wolverhampton.