Mark Howard with six northern horses to follow this season

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In keeping with recent seasons, David O’Meara was active at the Autumn sales recruiting fresh talent, including the former Hugo Palmer-trained pair Arbalet and Blonde Warrior. ABEL HANDY is another new arrival to Willow Farm Stables at Upper Helmsley and there is a strong possibility the former jump jockey has inherited a well-treated sprinter.

The Arcano gelding was a high-class juvenile for Declan Carroll, winning the Group Three Cornwallis Stakes at Newmarket and finishing a close second in the Listed Roses Stakes at York during the 2017 campaign. Officially rated 105 as a result, he didn’t trouble the judge during his three-year-old career having taken his chance in both the Group One Commonwealth Cup and Nunthorpe Stakes.

Back to winning ways at Musselburgh a little over a year ago in a five furlongs handicap off a mark of 87, he failed to recapture that form during the rest of 2019 and therefore starts this season off 81 for his new handler. If O’Meara can rekindle his enthusiasm, there are some decent sprint handicaps to be won with the Frank Gillespie owned five-year-old.

When it comes to high-class sprinters, there are few trainers anywhere in the country better equipped than Kevin Ryan, who has Group One winners Brando, Glass Slippers and Hello Youmzain to call upon in 2020. Hambleton Lodge is also home to BIELSA, who has won four of his five career starts. The five-year-old didn’t see a racecourse until October 2018 but has quickly developed into an above average type and could be the sort to win something like the Stewards' Cup or even the Ayr Gold Cup, which his trainer has already won four times.

Twice successful at Doncaster and Thirsk last year, he has won on a sound surface but looked particularly effective on heavy ground at Town Moor in late-October. A two and a quarter lengths winner from Pendleton off 93, he is now rated 101 and on the brink of Listed company. Bought by King Power Racing since, he is likely to be steered towards the Wokingham Handicap at Royal Ascot, a race Kevin Ryan won seven years ago with York Glory.

A Godolphin cast-off, DECEMBER SECOND was bought for £7,000 as an unraced five-year-old at the Goffs UK January Sale in 2019 and within a matter of months developed into a useful bumper performer for Phil Kirby, winning twice and finishing sixth in the Grade One championship event at the Punchestown Festival.

Switched to the level later the same year, the Teofilo gelding finished second on his first three starts, including when conceding 17 pounds to the potentially high-class filly Promissory at Doncaster in July. Rated 82, he tackled handicap company for the first time at Haydock in early-August and ran out a convincing five lengths winner over a mile and a half.

Elevated 10 pounds since, his connections entered him in the Cesarewitch at Newmarket last back-end but resisted the temptation and left him off for the remainder of the year. Due to return to action at Newcastle early next month, the Sky Bet Ebor at York is believed to be his ultimate target, but he is the sort to go well in a race such as the Northumberland Plate towards the end of June.

A half-sister to Group Two winner James Garfield, the lightly raced EVA MARIA is expected to have Pattern race pretensions herself this year. Like George Scott’s Mill Reef Stakes winner, she is owned by Bill Gredley and is already a three times winner under the tutelage of Richard Fahey. The daughter of Sea The Stars didn’t race at two but made up for lost time last year progressing to a rating of 92. Successful over a mile at Thirsk in August, she was seen to even better advantage when stepped up to ten furlongs during the Autumn.

Having displayed a smart turn of foot to win on her handicap bow at Ayr in September, overcoming a wide draw in the process, she then landed a good prize at Newmarket less than a month later under a fine ride from Paul Hanagan. Well held when tried in Listed company at Lingfield on her final start, she never looked comfortable on the track and had had enough by that stage of the year. Having only raced half a dozen times, Eva Maria almost certainly has more to offer.

With 126 winners, Tim Easterby enjoyed a personal best season last year and it is the King Power Racing owned pair Art Power and LAMPANG who spearhead his challenge as far as the three year olds at Habton Grange Stables are concerned. The latter, who cost £115,000 as a yearling, was viewed as a Royal Ascot juvenile and was set to make his racecourse debut in April 2019. Unfortunately, a setback meant the son of Dandy Man didn’t make his first public appearance until late August. It proved worth the wait though as he overcame a slow start before finishing strongly to win a six furlongs novice stakes at Carlisle by a length.

A month later, he was much more streetwise as he destroyed eight rivals by upwards of five lengths under a penalty at Ripon. Sent off evens favourite for his biggest test to date in the Listed Rockingham Stakes at York in October, he produced a laboured effort finishing only eighth. However, one is inclined to put a line through that because he never looked like winning at any stage. His trainer feels the testing conditions may explain his lacklustre performance, although he also pointed out that Lampang was unusually quiet beforehand. Either way, it was too bad to be true and he remains a smart prospect. Despite being given an entry in the 2000 Guineas earlier in the year, it would be no surprise if sprinting proves his game. With a mark of 97, he can land a big handicap before returning to Pattern company.

Mark Johnston can be relied upon to produce a whole raft of useful middle distance three year old handicappers and the twice raced ZABEEL CHAMPION is expected to fit that bracket this summer. A colt by Poet’s Voice, he is a half-brother to Dame Malliot, who won a Group Two in France over 12 furlongs for Ed Vaughan, plus another three times winner Banksea.

Owned by Jaber Abdullah, he won by a length on his debut at Bath over a mile in September and the form received a boost when the runner-up won subsequently. Beaten a short head under a penalty next time, he almost certainly wasn’t suited by the drop back to seven furlongs at Newcastle but still pulled clear of the third. The handicapper has allocated him a mark of 80 and, once tackling ten furlongs or more, he is expected to reach a much higher rating as the year progresses. Out of a Galileo mare, who has also produced one mile six winner Stone The Crows, it is not difficult to envisage him competing in those good three year old handicaps at the mid to late summer Festivals and beyond.

Mark Howard, author of Ahead On The Flat, One Jump Ahead & Racing TV pundit.

Ahead On The Flat, which includes exclusive interviews with Andrew Balding, Ralph Beckett, Roger Charlton, Tim Easterby, Charlie Fellowes, William Haggas, Jedd O’Keeffe, James Tate and Roger Varian, can be purchased for £10.99 (including postage) from www.mhpublications.co.uk

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