Star can maintain Bryony and Lucy's stunning Warwick stats
Back Somekindofstar @ 3/1 in the 13:40 at Warwick
A very easy win for our first selection in Celebre D'Allen yesterday, and it should have been two as Wouldubewell had to come from too far back at Haydock on a day front-runners enjoyed success. She looks a good staying chaser as that was just her second start, but it felt like one that got away with her finishing fast in third. Well, as fast as anyone could go in that Haydock mud.
Friday sees out the old year for the new and Lucy Wadham and Bryony Frost are the go-to team for the first pick. Frost's stats at Warwick this term are astounding with a 5-8 record at 63%, and she can add to that with Somekindofsuperstar.
His chasing career has been a bit in-and-out thus far but he jumps a fence well and holds winning form in testing conditions. Warwick will ride heavy and the fences take a bit of jumping too, but he has an accurate technique and stays 2m4f and beyond.
He finished a close second recently at Fontwell behind Kap Auteuil in a better race than today's and a combination of a lack of match sharpness and the extra 2f might have caught him out, but once again his jumping was good bar a mistake early on.
Up only 2lb, he is a player in a winnable race. Wadham's record is not too shabby here either with 2-6 this season at 33% and the first-time headgear from the trainer is another plus.
Filanderer won't get caught out on Friday
Back Filanderer @ 13/2 in the 15:15 Warwick
The closing NH Flat race looks a good one, with several stables associated with bumper winners represented. Ian Williams has an expensive recruit in the shape of Lindaka, while Alan King and Dan Skelton also have newcomers.
But I am going with a Hughie Morrison first-starter in Filanderer, a rather well-named (if incorrect with the spelling) son of Kayf Tara out of Flirtatious. The monikers out of the dam are endless.
The Berkshire handler trained the selection's mother and knows the family extremely well as he also had Filanderer's two brothers Trigger Point and Canoodle. Both won on their bumper debuts, but the better horse was Canoodle who travelled in style to win her first start five years ago and she looked to have some engine in the soft conditions. She latterly won on good too.
Indeed, Morrison's own aristocratic heritage goes back generations with the family's Fonthill Stud. Morrison is a son of Lord James Margadale, who owned and bred Oaks winners Juliette Marny and Scintillate and a grandson of the the first Lord Margadale (John) - who owned another Classic-placed filly in Spree in the 1950s. Hopefully Filanderer can uphold the tradition with a winning start.
The trainer is 1-3 from his bumper runners this term with one placed, and over the last five seasons is 8-42.