Hot to Trot: Signs of revival for Godolphin stalwart

Flat trainer: Saeed bin Suroor

The problems endured by the Saeed bin Suroor yard this season have been well-documented, but there have been signs of a revival in recent weeks and the trainer will have been pleased with the performances of his big race runners on Saturday. Move Up continued his progression with a brave success in the Group 3 Cumberland Lodge Stakes at Ascot, while Always Smile made Alice Springs pull out all the stops in the Group 1 Sun Chariot Stakes at Newmarket and could yet make her mark at the top level if kept in training next year. The Godolphin handler looks set to be well-represented in the next few days and will be hoping to add to his tally with Dubai Dunes at Kempton on Tuesday. She showed plenty of ability when second on her racecourse debut at the same venue and should prove difficult to beat with the step up to 1m expected to see her in an even better light. The trainer also has four entries at Chelmsford on Thursday and his best chance of a winner would appear to be Strong Force, who belied inexperience to finish second on his racecourse bow at Catterick and can show the benefit of that outing with a big effort at the Essex track.

Jumps trainer: Neil Mulholland 

Neil Mulholland enjoyed the best season of his short career to date with 60 winners over jumps in 2015/16 and is already well on his way to surpassing that total this time around, with 35 winners already on the board at this very early stage of proceedings. Indeed, the trainer has been in terrific form of late and has hit the target with three of his last 11 runners in this sphere. He will be hoping to improve that strike rate even further this week and currently has eight horses engaged across the two meetings at Towcester and Ludlow on Wednesday. Very Extravagant was in a similarly rich vein of form when last sighted on a racecourse at Fontwell in May and, certainly showed enough to suggest she will remain competitive off her current mark. She should run well if returning from her summer break in anything like top form at Ludlow, while Fool To Cry showed a fairly useful level of form in seven starts on the Flat for Roger Varian and could make her hurdling/yard debut at Towcester. She is sure to have been well-schooled and could prove tough to beat in what looks an interesting juvenile hurdle, with several leading yards looking likely to have runners.

Under the radar: Malcolm Saunders

Malcolm Saunders reached 20 winners for the first time since 2010 when Secretfact held on for a game success at Bath last week and was denied win number 21 by the narrowest of margins at Newmarket on Saturday. Pixeleen looked the likeliest winner when taking it up as the field entered the final furlong of the fillies' handicap, but was run quickly run down by the improving Summer Chorus and had to settle for her seventh consecutive placed effort of the season. She keeps climbing up in the handicap without winning, but can usually be relied upon to run her race and the trainer will be hoping she can register the victory her consistency deserves before the season is out. Next week looks set to be quiet for the Somerset handler with no entries at the time of writing and it will be interesting to see where his thriving string is represented next, as he bids to improve on his fine record of four winners and three seconds from his last 11 runners.