GRAHAM LEE has a fine record at Musselburgh and looks the man to follow on the East Lothian track tomorrow where he can land a double.
Lee is second in the jockeys table behind the redoubtable AP McCoy and has ridden 80 winners so far this term. He has a strike rate of 23 per cent on this track in the past five seasons and Seize looks an outstanding bet in the Cosmic Case Handicap H
urdle (3.00pm).
The six-year-old has shown improved form since joining Lee's boss – Middleham trainer Ferdy Murphy – and being stepped up to marathon trips.
Graham was on board when the gelding showed promise before fading on his reappearance at Aintree in November and Seize went on to finish a close second in a conditional jockeys affair at Catterick.
That was over three and a quarter miles and he came from way off the pace that day and was again runner-up at the last meeting here at Musselburgh. He was sent off favourite for a ladies race and looked set to score when going ahead at the penultimate obstacle. He was forced to give best at the last, though it was no disgrace to be beaten by a horse ridden by Irish ace Nina Carberry. With Lee back on board, I reckon the gelding can open his winning account tomorrow.
And Lee can initiate his double with Hall of Fame in the Rectangle Group Juvenile Handicap Hurdle (1.30pm). This fellow carried the colours of Godolphin on the level and then managed one placing when trained by Mark Johnston before being sold on cheaply. He did win a seller on the level at Haydock last summer and is now with Richard Guest for whom he was successful – with Lee on board – over hurdles at Fakenham last month. The four-year-old was far from disgraced in better company at Wetherby's Christmas fixture and tomorrow's opposition looks much easier.
Border Fox made all the running to win a bumper here just under a year ago and used the same tactics to score over hurdles at Market Rasen just before Christmas after which trainer Len Lungo was at pains to point out that a disappointing debut over timber at Aintree had been brought about by a change of tactics.
The gelding pulled hard and made mistakes as his rider tried to restrain him there and I expect this natural front runner to give his rivals a hard time in the Roberts Burns Novices Hurdle (2.20pm).
Artless scored twice on the flat for Sir Mark Prescott – including over a mile and three quarters of this course last July – before being sold privately to Howard Johnson and his leading owner Graham Wylie.
The mare made a successful debut over hurdles for her new connections at Hexham in October and was then fourth under a penalty at Wetherby. This sharper track will suit and she can regain winning form in the visiteastlothian.org Mares Only Novices Hurdle (1.00pm) which opens an interesting seven-race card.
Joe Rowntree's selections: 1.00 Artless, 1.30 Hall of Fame, 2.30 Border Fox, 3.00 Seize.
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