Hot To Trot: Honeyball enjoying sweet run of success

Jumps trainer: Nigel Twiston-Davies

Nigel Twiston-Davies enjoyed a double courtesy of Foxtail Hill and Wholestone on Festival Trials Day at Cheltenham, and appears to be assembling a strong team for the main event back there in March. The New One (Champion Hurdle/Stayers' Hurdle) and Bristol de Mai (Gold Cup) both look set to bid for championship honours at the Festival and the trainer will be praying for a trouble-free preparation over the course of the next few weeks. Twiston-Davies has plenty to keep him occupied in the meantime, however, and looks likely to be well-represented on Monday's card at Lingfield. Crievehill is arguably most interesting, having run creditably to finish third behind the exciting Neon Wolf on his most recent outing in a Grade 2 at Haydock, and he should prove difficult to beat back down in grade under a penalty. The yard won the Betfair Hurdle with Splash of Ginge in 2014 and their Ballyandy has been ante-post favourite for this year's renewal since the entries were published in January. Last year's Champion Bumper winner has shown a useful level of form in each of his three starts over hurdles to date and looks potentially very well-treated from a BHA mark of 135 next Saturday.

Flat trainer: Marco Botti

Marco Botti appears to have his string in terrific form at present, with two winners and seven placed from his last 11 runners, and the smart Dylan Mouth looks set for a profitable spell in Dubai following a good second at Meydan on Thursday. He was staying on strongly over a trip well short of his best that day and can be placed to good advantage by a trainer with a fine record with his international runners. Botti also has several entries closer to home in the coming days and will be hoping to continue his rich vein of form with a winner at Kempton on Wednesday. Driver's Girl showed little when down the field on her racecourse debut at Lingfield last May, but proved a different proposition when second on her return from over seven months off the track at Kempton last time. She should be involved if reproducing that level of form here (also entered at Chelmsford on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Makaarim showed a fairly useful level of form when opening his account at Wolverhampton in December and could make his handicap debut at the endangered Sunbury track. He remains open to more improvement after just two starts and may have been underestimated by an opening mark of 80.

Under the radar: Anthony Honeyball

Anthony Honeyball is perhaps best known for his exploits with the J.P. McManus-owned Regal Encore, who finished a good second to Briar Hill in the 2013 Champion Bumper and has since developed into a smart staying chaser. He was disappointing when pulled-up on Trials Day at Cheltenham last time, but appeared unsuited by the drop back in trip there and is better-judged on the form of his Silver Cup victory at Ascot in December. Honeyball has identified next month's Midlands National at Uttoxeter as Regal Encore's next target, but the trainer has over 30 other horses to keep him busy in the interim and will be hoping Royal Salute can continue his fine form of late at Hereford on Tuesday. He provided Honeyball with one of three winners from his last six runners at Plumpton on Monday and could attempt to complete his hat-trick under a 7 lb penalty. Meanwhile, Cresswell Breeze ran respectably when second on her most recent outing in a listed event at Leicester and could run in Saturday's Grand National Trial at Haydock. That looks a stiff ask, but she has often shaped as if worth a try at marathon trips and could easily run better than her current odds of 33/1 suggest.