Hot To Trot: Dickin due a change of luck

Flat Trainer: Mick Easterby

Mick Easterby is having plenty of winners both over jumps and on the Flat at present but there are few trainers going as well in the latter sphere, the yard sending out three winners and two seconds from their last ten runners on the all-weather, including a couple at juicy prices (16/1 and 5/1). At Wolverhampton on Monday, Easterby has Harvest Day entered over seven furlongs, an interesting angle given that she has finished strongly over sprint trips and has plenty of stamina on her dam’s side (out of an unraced half-sister to one who got a mile and a quarter). Later on in the week at Lingfield, Easterby has the consistent Qaffaal entered in a class 2 handicap. Qaffaal needs things to drop right given that he is often held up, but he had obvious excuses on his last start (at the same track over a mile) when badly hampered, and the feeling is that he remains on a workable mark.

Jumps Trainer: Robin Dickin

Robin Dickin hasn’t had a winner since early-December but the yard remain in excellent form (their run-to-form figure much higher than usual at this time of year based on the graph below) and can probably count themselves fairly unlucky, especially in the case of Oneida Tribe, who was placed second (originally dead-heated for first) following a stewards’ enquiry at Bangor at the beginning of January. Dickin has three horses currently entered for Tuesday’s meeting at Leicester and will be hoping for some better luck. The mare Tara Well has been knocking on the door in handicaps recently, finishing in the frame on her last four starts, and should pick up a race soon enough. She’s down in grade slightly in a conditional jockeys’ mares’ handicap on Tuesday. Another consistent type for the yard is Dontminddboys, also entered on the same card. He won over the same C&D on his penultimate start and, with the third winning since, a 2 lb higher mark doesn’t look beyond him.

Under The Radar: Lucy Wadham

Lucy Wadham didn’t get off the brightest of starts this season, saddling just three winners by the time December rolled around. However the yard have had another five winners since then, two of those coming from their last ten runners (along with four seconds), this time of year traditionally one of their most successful according to the graph below. Bumper winner Potters Midnight presumably hasn’t been the easiest to train (missed nearly two years prior to her reappearance at Towcester in November), but remains lightly raced as a result and could be worth watching out for should she take up any of her three entries on Monday/Tuesday at Fakenham/Leicester. Mr Love doesn’t seem to be blessed with much speed but has the pedigree/background to think that he won’t remain a maiden for long and he would be interesting if running in a three-mile handicap chase at Wetherby on Wednesday.