As Mick Easterby doesn't have many runners at Newbury, it looks significant that he should be treble-handed at the Berkshire venue this afternoon.

And the Sheriff Hutton handler has fair prospects with all of those runners - Flat Top in the three-mile handicap chase, Barton Dante in the mares novice hurdle final and with Super Nomad in the novices handicap chase.

Flat Top, who is back on a favourable mark, loves soft ground and caught the eye at Sandown last time when given too much to do in a race confined to amateur riders.

He has conditions to suit again and he should be a different proposition with the excellent Richie McGrath in the saddle.

The combination can also click with Barton Dante, who will also like the ground and has improved steadily all season.

The mare starts her handicap life on a reasonable mark and is taken to beat Hopbine, who has also been in good heart of late. Super Nomad, who goes on most ground, has proved to be a good jumper and he looks the pick of a small field at 3.40.

Mary Reveley's Colourful Life can also be on the mark for the North in the UK Hygeine Handicap Hurdle over two miles.

This galloping course should suit much better than at Kempton last time, where he just got up in the closing stages, and he's probably better than the handicapper has been able to rate him.

Back at Doncaster David Nicholls' Bahamian Pirate looks an interesting runner with conditions in his favour for the Cammidge Trophy over six furlongs.

Although this run will doubtless bring him on he'll be fit enough to do himself justice and his second placing to Imperial Beauty in the Group One "Abbaye" at Longchamp last autumn confirms that he has solid claims in this lesser grade.

At Bangor, Ourman looks an interesting runner in the Tommy's Darts Novices Chase over three miles.

This trip and the mud are ideal requirements for the strapping six-year-old, who has the scope to develop into a decent performer over this trip and beyond in the mud.

Finally, I have been instructed to pass on a good word concerning Mark Johnston's pair Leo's Luckyman and Scottish River in the UAE Derby at Nad Al Sheba at 2.20.

The former, a strapping colt, has the physique to do much better this season than he did as a juvenile and it's interesting that he wears blinkers for the first time. He's reportedly been burning up the Middleham gallops, as has stable companion, the mount of Kieren Fallon.

l Conditional jockey Willie Dowling was suspended for eight days (April 1-6, 8 and 9) for failing to take all reasonable and permissible measures throughout the race to obtain the best possible placing on Georgia Peach at Kelso yesterday.

The four-year-old was last of the five finishers behind his stable companion, the Lenny Lungo-trained Backcraft, in the Princess Royal Trust For Carers Juvenile Novices' Hurdle.

Lungo was found not in breach of any rule as he told the stewards he felt the jockey should have been 'more vigorous' on the run-in.

The Carrutherstown trainer said: ''Willie was riding a horse who was making his debut over hurdles and who was having his first run for nine months and if he had murdered him he possibly may have finished fourth instead of fifth.

"The horse made three bad jumps and he was just trying to get him home.''

l Alan King predicted a brighter future over fences next season for Shosen after the six-year-old had shown his rivals a clean pair of heels in the Sabin Du Loir maiden hurdle at Newbury yesterday.

The gelding proved to be King's 30th winner of the season when lengthening nicely to comfortably see off Quel Bon Choix by nine lengths under Robert Thornton. King said: ''He's a lovely type of horse. He'll go chasing next season and I think he could be pretty good."