Hot to Trot: Jonjo back from break in top form

Flat trainer: Eve Johnson Houghton

Such is the portion of this season that Eve Johnson Houghton has carried our ‘sun’ Flag next to her name on the Timeform race card, it is somewhat surprising that she is featuring in this column for the first time in late-August. With 31 winners on the board and nearly £250,000 in prize money already in the bag, 2016 is set to be her most successful training season yet. Scarlet Dragon has been Johnson Houghton’s most high-profile success so far this season, bagging over £50,000 in prize money with three wins in competitive handicaps. He may well be seen next in the Dubai Duty Free Handicap at Newmarket in a few weeks’ time. Interesting entrants for Johnson Houghton in the coming days include Becca Campbell, who has been progressing well recently and is surprisingly entered in a seller at Goodwood on Sunday. Becca Campbell had to pick her way through the field in the final two furlongs at Leicester last time and hit the line with running left, and she could be capable of better yet under more favourable circumstances. What About Carlo is a possible runner at Epsom on Monday. He has been below on his last four starts, including in the likes of the Wolferton Handicap at Royal Ascot and the John Smith’s Cup at York, but has dropped to just 1 lb above his last winning mark as a result. He goes well at Epsom’s unique track – his two best efforts this season have come over the same C&D – and could be worth chancing at a likely big price if he does take up that entry.

Jumps trainer: Jonjo O’Neill

Jonjo O’Neill has been in brilliant form since the week-long summer jumps break, saddling two winners and nine placed horses from 14 runners, and his entrants are definitely worth keeping a close eye on over the coming weeks. Dreamsoftheatre is not completely straightforward, but could be worth backing in the Cavendish Cup at Cartmel on Bank Holiday Monday. He won last year’s renewal from 1 lb lower in the weights, and, clearly well adept to dealing with the unique test that the track provides, he will be of interest if taking up his entry. Mr Shantu – currently entered over hurdles on the same card with Aidan Coleman booked to take the ride – bounced back from a poor showing at Market Rasen on his penultimate start to win a maiden chase at Worcester at the end of July. He has had a few issues with his hurdling over the summer, but is clearly on a workable mark based on the pick of his hurdles form, which includes a remarkable second at Cheltenham in October where he was almost brought to a stop four out by a faller. 

Under the radar: Ed Walker

Ed Walker enjoyed the perfect start to this season’s Flat campaign, taking one of the early group races – the Craven Stakes at Newmarket – with Stormy Atlantic with just his fourth turf runner of 2016. The yard was fairly quiet after that success, however, and Walker was forced to wait nearly two months for his nest victory, which came in June, and the yard had saddled just six winners on turf before the start of August. But, things seem to have gone up another gear since the beginning of August, and Walker has quickly taken his seasonal turf total into double figures. His only runner at York’s Ebor Festival, Captain Colby, finished third in a hot five-furlong sprint from a poor draw and remains one to keep an eye on in future months. On a more short-term basis, Glorious Legend looks a particularly interesting runner for Walker at Redcar on Saturday evening. Glorious Legend is an attractive son of Derby winner Pour Moi and out of a dam who stayed 13 furlongs and is related to smart the stayer in Bellamy Cay. His pedigree and the late headway he made on his handicap debut over a mile and a quarter at Newmarket last time (after a gelding operation and a ten-week break) suggest that he will be well suited by the mile-and-three-quarter trip on Saturday evening, and it would be no surprise to see an improved effort from a lowly handicap mark.