Chris Dixon's Notes And Angles: I'll be backing Ben on a sounder surface

There has been some tremendous action shown on Racing TV over the Festive period with several star names on show on both sides of the Irish sea.

As ever, I won’t discuss too many of those performances here but the race that stood out was the extremely competitive renewal of the Savills Chase won by A Plus Tard at Leopardstown on Monday. He had stamina to prove going into the race but stayed on very well to land the prize and thrust himself into the picture of what looks sure to be an excellent Magners Cheltenham Gold Cup in March.

While there was so much racing to enjoy in the past week, from a personal point of view it was a week tinged with sadness as Big Country suffered a suspected heart attack early in the race at Wolverhampton on Boxing Day.

It’s always horrible to see a horse fatally injured on the track but when it’s your favourite horse and you part-own him, it definitely hurts more. Still, the thing that will stick with me and the other owners are the memories made in his seven wins. My favourite would have to be his Rosebery win at Kempton, the second leg of a double on the card for The Horse Watchers, a day when he confirmed we had a very good horse on our hands, landed some nice bets and instigated some excitable celebrations!

Hopes were high on December 27 that Warrior Brave might give us a boost with a win but he came up short in a duel with Water Of Leith.

The race didn’t go ideally for Warrior Brave and he remains an exciting prospect so he’s probably one to stick in your racingtv.com tracker along with the following suggestions for horses who I think won’t be far away from finding a handicap win. Happy New Year - let's hope it's a profitable one.

Sizing Cusimano only found a progressive winner too good at Wincanton on Boxing Day, coming from further back than ideal at a track that often favours horses ridden closer to the pace.

He’s now run well on all three starts this season, despite his yard being a bit quiet and having yet to be faced with an optimum test. He’s on a good mark and can take advantage over this sort of trip, especially if the yard have found better form.

Mellow Ben found 3m on soft ground too much of a test at Kempton on Boxing Day, especially as he ended up going a bit too quick in front. Eventually beaten by three well-handicapped horses, it’s the second start in succession that he’s shaped well and the way he jumped and travelled suggests he’s in good form right now. His wins have come in smaller fields and he’ll be of real interest if found an opportunity to dominate over a shorter trip, ideally on a sounder surface.

Annie Day was a very obvious eye-catcher when finishing third behind her well well-backed stablemate Barden Bella at Catterick on Monday. Making her handicap debut, she moved well enough through the first half of the race but lost her position from the second last in the back straight to two out, at which point she’d dropped to be the back marker.

Shaken up at that point, she charged home to take third, crossing the line with plenty more to give and looking like a mare who can make light work of her mark, especially when she goes up in trip.

Dickie Diver must have had an injury to have been off for 665 days prior to his run at Newbury on Tuesday but looked like all his ability is intact following an encouraging return.

Ridden with patience behind an all-the-way winner, he jumped and travelled well on his chase debut before getting past a couple of in-form rivals to take second close home.

His old form over hurdles includes a narrow second to future Stayers Hurdle winner Lisnagar Oscar at Chepstow plus an excellent fourth behind Minella Indo in the 2019 Albert Bartlett and he looks like the type to progress over fences, with the class to win a big handicap.

The closing handicap at Kempton on Sunday (see above) looked a strong handicap beforehand and it remains the case afterwards. The winner Cadzand was well-backed to follow up a novice win on his handicap debut and was clearly a good way ahead of his opening mark, while the third and fourth are both unexposed and several others have dropped to marks off which they can be competitive. Some of those will drop for defeat here and it has the makings of a race that can throw up plenty of winners.

Mick Maestro’s win at Doncaster in November was just the second since the beginning of 2019 for Nick Kent and the yard struck again with 125/1 shock winner Ballycallan Flame at Wetherby on Boxing Day.

That win has been followed by another for Mick Maestro at Catterick and Who’s In The Box landing the Lincolnshire National at Market Rasen and the yard are clearly in excellent form. Their runners are well worth a second look in the short term, including Catlin, who is declared for the 3.07 race at Catterick on Sunday.