Kate Tracey

Updated 08.56 - all selections online

Before we get to the Sunday action, a quick line on Trawlerman, whose retirement was announced on Saturday. He was a real star for connections in the staying division and, whilst he had been beaten by Scandinavia and Kyprios, he helped to generate some fantastic clashes with them both.

This is very much a Sunday with something for everyone. Top-class action in France at Deauville is complemented by good action in Ireland at the Curragh, in addition to jumping at Tramore, while we also have Flat cards at Pontefract and Southwell. The first and last mentioned are covered live on Sky Sports Racing.

My first selection runs at Tramore (4.35) in the handicap chase over just shy of two miles which may not be full of superstars, but looks typically competitive for the action Tramore offers. I think it is a unique test of a horse, with its sharp bends, and being up with the pace looks essential to me if you want to be in with a chance of winning.

We have plenty of younger horses in the field who may improve on what we have seen to date. The four-year-old Ray Gun could make his chase debut here. He wouldn’t be of interest to me from what we have seen over hurdles so far, which included finishing sixth in a race here on Thursday.

Five-year-old Nobody had shown very little prior to his seasonal return this month at Cork, where he stayed on in a handicap hurdle to finish fifth. He also makes his first start over fences and any market support for Brendan Walsh’s runner could be notable.

Kingdom Calling has not shown me enough in two chase starts to date to suggest he can get his head in front today. I am also not sure Bossing It is well handicapped on his hurdles form as he goes chasing here.

The pensioner of the field is Itsalonglongroad, who has done a bit of everything this summer, with chase, hurdles and Flat efforts since moving to David O’Sullivan. The horse took this contest last year off a mark seven pounds lower than today's, and I assume aiming for back-to-back wins in this race has been the target.

However, I am going to back another course-and-distance winner in the field in PRESENTING LAD. He tops the weights but has bits of form at Tramore and elsewhere to really get excited about in the context of this race. His second here in May, whilst no match for the winner, was a fair effort. I’ll use the ground as an excuse for his next run at Roscommon, when he finished down the field, and I’m willing to forgive his poor Wexford run, when he pulled up, as simply a bad day at the office.

I think he looks well handicapped, and the booking of Daniel King, whose stock is on the rise, gives me reason to be excited about this ten-year-old at Tramore.

My final selection runs at Pontefract (4.45) - a Listed race for fillies and mares over six furlongs, which has attracted a fair turnout of runners.

America Queen and Royal Fixation have plenty of form alongside each other and both warrant plenty of respect. America Queen has been installed as the favourite and ran well enough last time out at York, in spite of a slightly sluggish start. Royal Fixation was also slightly slow to start and finished just behind her that day.

As much as I like both as individuals, I have been slightly disappointed with Royal Fixation this season given how good she was as a two-year-old. America Queen is a nice filly too, but at the current price of 2-1 as I write, she is just too short for me to get involved with.

When looking at the rest of the field, the most likely each-way candidate I could find to take on the front pair was the Martin Dunne-trained SING THE BLUES. Previously, she won just one of her four starts when in the care of William Haggas, but this three-year-old filly has really thrived since moving yards earlier this summer, having perhaps just needed some time off.

She won at Newmarket in July on Good to Firm ground before following up with an impressive victory at Glorious Goodwood in a strong-looking 20-runner handicap.

She needs to take another leap forward to trouble the market principals, but could well do just that here. I’ll be playing her each way today and hoping she can give her canny owner yet more to celebrate, having been picked up for just £6,000 prior to her two victories this season.

Kate's Best Bets (scale 1-5 points):

4.35 TRAMORE 

2pts win PRESENTING LAD (4-1 Paddy Power and 7-2 general)

4.45 PONTEFRACT

1pt each-way SING THE BLUES (9-1 bet365, William Hill, 17-2 and 8-1 general)