POINT OF ORIGIN seems a good place to start for punters seeking to make a profit at Southwell today.

The career of Chris Bealby's eight-year-old appeared to be on the rocks after being pulled up four times in succession during 2004.

It was an ignominious run which would have tried the patience of saint, however Bealby persevered and Point Of Origin (3.10) rewarded his faith by finishing in the money when third at Huntingdon last time out.

Having won over fences in the past, Southwell's stiff French-style hurdles are sure to suit Point Of Origin, who also has the benefit of assistance from the very promising young rider, Adam Pogson, in the saddle.

Due to his conditional jockey status, Pogson is able to take a handy 7lbs off the selection's back, a weight allowance which could make all of the difference between winning or losing in the dying strides of the Novices' Handicap Hurdle

The following Arena Leisure Handicap Hurdle gives Mystery (3.40) the opportunity to make amends for woefully failing to justify 11-8 favouritism at Ludlow.

The reason his supporters had lumped on lorry loads of cash stemmed from the strength of his previous visit to Wincanton where he slammed On A Deal, a triumph that signalled the total success of recent operation to improve the passage of air to his lungs.

Whatever went wrong at Ludlow we shall never know, nonetheless trainer Tom George, not a man to over-hype his horses, is known to hold Mystery in relatively high regard - therefore it must be prudent to give his seven-year-old another chance.

Earlier in the day at Fontwell, Tom's Rosetown (2.00) might well have initiated a double for the stable by taking the Crown Racing Handicap Hurdle.

There's been heavy rain in the area over the weekend, which answered Rosetown's every prayer because as the gelding demonstrated when scoring at Hereford recently, he really needs soft ground in order to be at his best.

Another confirmed mud-lark guaranteed to act in the testing conditions is Lucky Pete (3.30), a major player for the Novices' Handicap Chase.

Two starts ago Lucky Pete ripped the heart out of his rivals with a pulsating display of front running over course and distance.

Although he's since blundered away any prospect of a follow-up victory at Folkestone, now that the eight-year-old is back at a more suitable venue, Lucky Pete seems sure to play a leading role in the two-mile-and-two-furlong contest.

There's not long to wait for the best bet on the card at Wolverhampton - Heartbeat (1.50) turns out in the opening Bet Direct Apprentice Stakes.

The stock of Heartbeat's sire, Pursuit Of Love, generally improve with age, particularly fillies and mares.

In addition, she also boasts some decent turf form, including a creditable fourth placing in a 0-70 handicap at Ripon.

This afternoon's lowly affair is a million miles from that far superior standard, which combined with the fact that Heartbeat made a satisfactory comeback when runner-up at Lingfield, offers ample evidence for investing in the nap.

* There will be a precautionary inspection at Southwell this morning. Clerk of the course Jon Pullin said: ''We decided it would be prudent to have an inspection in case the weather turns worse than expected.''

The going is currently described as good.

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