Sea Battle (12/1) one for the Handicap Snips

On the face of it, Saturday proved a disappointing day for Ahead On The Flat followers with Jubiloso running below par in the Atalanta Stakes and Al Suhail only finishing third in the Solario Stakes. However, it wasn't all doom and gloom with the lightly raced Sea Battle (12/1) winning at Lingfield for the Handicap Snips section. Trained last season by Hughie Morrison, the gelded son of Lope De Vega was transferred to Jane Chapple-Hyam and finished fifth on his belated reappearance over ten furlongs at Yarmouth in June. Stepped up to a mile and a half for the first time at the Surrey track and racing off a mark of 62, he led approaching the final furlong before staying on strongly to win by a length and a quarter. He seemingly relished the longer trip and is capable of winning again this Autumn.

I am hoping to add the final touches to One Jump Ahead this week - I have got a few more contacts to speak to over the next few days. Then, all being well, the book will go to the printers and it should be published mid September. I will be updating the Publications section shortly but I want to finish the book first. Clients will be able to order on then, plus I am sending out letters to previous customers with full details shortly.

I spoke to my contact in the Dan Skelton yard on Saturday morning and got a full rundown on the stable's horse for the winter ahead. Paul Nicholls' former assistant trained over 200 winners last season and he certainly hasn't rested on his laurels purchasing some exciting Irish pointers during the spring/summer.

One of the most popular features in OJA is Declan Phelan's Irish Pointers. Declan has sent me his article, which includes 8 or 9 horses for the Top 40 Prospects, plus a further 55 - 60 horses to go into his own feature. Last year, it included dual Grade 1 winner Minella Indo (50/1 & 5/1) who scored at both Cheltenham and Punchestown in the spring. It also featured exciting youngsters Andy Dufresne, Grade 2 winners Birchdale and Lisnagar Oscar and the unbeaten Grade 1 winner Honeysuckle. Expect more of the same this season.