Paul Mulrennan: inside track on my Saturday rides plus horse to follow

It remains cold across the North, so fittingly the weekend begins on the all-weather at Newcastle on Friday, where I’m booked for six rides.

Humble Spark (6.00pm) has finished runner-up on two of his last three starts. Now a proficient operator over both 1m2f and 1m4f, he’s really starting to get the hang of things, so I’d like to think that he can get us off to a flying start by winning.

I was aboard when Indication Rocket (6.30pm) scored over C&D this time last year. It’s fair to say that he hasn’t progressed, and now drops back in trip for his second start of the year.

I linked up with Dylan Cunha on a couple of occasions last term. He’s an up-and-coming Newmarket-based trainer, who isn’t afraid to travel his horses. I’ll look forward taking the ride on his lightly-raced filly Cerulean Summer (7.30pm) who has been given an opening mark of 67.

More Than A Feelin (8.00pm) makes just the third start of her career in the Fillies’ Maiden. She drops back in distance (from a mile) wearing newly applied headgear. Obviously, as the formbook illustrates, John and Thady Gosden’s So Logical is the horse we all must beat.

Azucena (8.30pm) is one of two for Ann Duffield in an open-looking ‘Confined’ Handicap. She’ll like the track, having scored over C&D back in October 2022, but this is her first run for six months, so we’ll have to wait and see.

Doon The Glen (9.00pm) ran encouragingly (fifth) in a visor recently and should prove capable of winning a similar race soon. Sprinting is his gig; he showed a lot of ability for the grade last time.

I’m close to home at Ripon on Saturday, with a nice book of rides. Diamondonthehill (5.15pm) gets us underway. He is having his first run since last October.

Ben Haslam’s Wen Moon (5.50pm) has an excellent chance in the Ripon Silver Sprint Trophy. He is ideally suited by the track – some horses struggle with these undulations – and appreciates plenty of cut underfoot. He gave a decent account of himself when placed on seasonal reappearance at Pontefract so, with Ben’s horses absolutely flying, everything appears ‘A1’.

Sir Mark Prescott’s Sea King (6.20pm) is another who should relish the underfoot conditions. He makes his seasonal reappearance in the M.C.H. Hutchinson Memorial Trophy after tackling similar good-quality Class 2 handicaps – Old Borough Cup (Haydock) and the Autumn Cup (Newbury) - late last season.

Merrijig (6.50pm) is a versatile horse who arrives seeking a hat-trick in the six-runner stayers’ handicap. John Berry’s charge supplemented last season’s Redcar win on Polytrack at Chelmsford but was denied the opportunity to race there again a few weeks later after suffering a superficial cut above his eye when travelling to the Essex venue.

Four-time Arc-winning rider Olivier Peslier this week announced his retirement from the saddle at the age of 51. Peslier, also four-time champion in his native France, enjoyed success all over the world, with Goldikova being one horse who immediately springs to mind.

Wherever it was in the world that Peslier travelled, he soon adapted to the pace demands, track characteristics and idiosyncrasies etc, partnering winner after winner. That alone testifies his talent and natural ability in the saddle.

American Affair (Jim Goldie)

American Affair has thrived over the winter and did kind of shock us a little by how sharp he has become. He was winning over seven-furlongs (Wetherby) this time last year, and over a stiff six at Carlisle later in the season.

Now he’s dragging me through a five-furlong handicap at Musselburgh where the runners are going flat-out and he’s still tanking along. He’s obviously well ahead of his handicap mark and, given that all the family got better with age, hopefully, he might be a sprinter going places. The short-term plan is to seek more opportunities in the Sky Bet Sunday Series.