Today's Horse Racing Tips: Late Date enjoys his trips to Sedgfield

Late Date will be bang on time today

Back Late Date @ 11/4 in the 12:40 Sedgfield

This track tends to bring out the best in Late Date, a winner on three of his six starts here, including this very event last year. Micky Hammond's nine-year-old is back to defend his crown off the same mark as last year and with jockey Billy Garrity claiming 5lbs he looks to hold every chance.

He will appreciate the recent softening of the ground after being taken out when the ground dried out here last month. He often needs run to get him going so the Perth outing was ideal and has won second time up in each of the last two seasons so I expect him to be up for this.

Dr Richard Newland has an interesting runner in this in the shape of Classic Escape, but he has been let down by his jumping in his two starts over fences to date. He finished a distant third (beaten 20 lengths) on his debut over the larger obstacles and then unseated his rider at Southwell last time out. If he is to get involved here then his jumping will have to have improved considerably.

A bigger threat to the selection may come from Rebecca Menzies' charge Nortonthorpelegend who was not disgraced twice in September and after a slight drop in the weights could be the one to follow Late Date home.

Third Wind goes well fresh

Back Third Wind @ 7/2 in the 14:30 Newbury

Hughie Morrison's runner Third Wind finished fourth in the Pertemps Final at the Cheltenham Festival and commands plenty of respect off the same rating here. There is no reason why he can't get his season off to the perfect start on ground that has come right for him. The six-year-old is still relatively unexposed after just six starts over hurdles and despite being off the course for 238 days he has a solid record when fresh.

There should be more to come this season and connections may have half an eye on bigger targets rather than the handicap route later on in the campaign.

It's a competitive heat but the main danger could come from Nicky Henderson's Fugitives Drift who made it back-to-back victories at Hereford recently and hasn't been out the first three on his five starts over hurdles (winning three of them). The five-year-old is sure to progress and should enjoy this step up in trip for last year's winning handler.