UP-AND-COMING young chaser Ravenscar (2.30) could prove to be a hard horse to pass in the closing stages of the opener at Southwell this afternoon.

Ravenscar has won two of his last three outings, striding away from a big field to record an impressive success on his most recent start at Worcester 19 days ago.

Despite being on the go for most of the winter, the selection was as fresh as paint that day and is clearly a very durable individual who thrives on his racing.

It's also worth noting that Ravenscar and his regular rider, Adam Pogson, have struck up a really close-knit partnership, a factor which is worth its weight in gold when faced with the daunting task of having to jump 18 fences at breakneck pace on the predicted quick surface.

Pam Sly's stable has been worth following over the past few weeks and her winning streak might easily be sustained by Harrycone Lewis (4.00) in the RBS Highflyers Handicap Hurdle.

Even though he blundered his way round Newbury in March, Harrycone Lewis still got to within a half-length of the Martin Pipe-trained hotpot, Zeta's River. Given a few less jumping errors, the gelding would surely have prevailed and scooped a very decent prize.

Connections have now opted to revert to the smaller obstacles, a smart move as the seven-year-old is well over a stone lower in the weights over hurdles, compared to his rather harsh chase rating.

Ballyhurry (3.20) certainly lived up to his name when scoring in a fast time at Catterick this month.

Jim Goldie's inmate returns for Musselburgh's Edmonds Handicap, an event in which he can be strongly fancied, especially as a course and distance winner.

Goldie's eight-year-old is ideally suited by playing a waiting game, as shown by the ace lightweight, Nicky Mackay, who brought his mount with a long smooth challenge to take the money at Catterick.

Assuming Mackay adopts similar tactics, don't expect Ballyhurry to appear on the scene until the final furlong the quest to notch a double in the £5,000 contest.

Superstitious punters might be put off backing Nottingham-bound Karminsky Park (2.40) from stall 13, but they could be making a major mistake since Tim Etherington's representative has the right credentials to take a hand.

Although Karminsky Park has been strutting her stuff on the all-weather of late, she's arguably even more effective on turf, and as the mare remains hale and hearty after a creditable winter campaign, the six-year-old is entitled to serious consideration.

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