JOLIE Blonde jumps off Catterick’s eight-race card and should be followed accordingly.

Nothing short of risible in three starts over a mile in maidens, it was an entirely different story on her handicap bow at Bath on September 29.

Trainer Sir Mark Prescott characteristically stepped the three-year-old daughter of Sir Percy up in trip to a mile and a five furlongs, and it could not have worked out any better.

Jolie Blonde dotted up by a length and a quarter, a victory which was perhaps not that unexpected given her trainer’s street smarts in humdrum handicaps of this nature.

She also has plenty of stamina flowing through her veins so this ascent to just shy of two miles may bring about even more progression.

Jolie Blonde will soon be walloped by the assessor, so a 6lb penalty for this assignment hardly represents Doomsday.

Pink Diamond brings a great deal to the table when she runs in the Genting Casino Brighton Learn To Play Handicap at Brighton.

Eve Johnson Houghton’s three-year-old has a nice pedigree compared to many of her exposed rivals in the race and can be trusted to run with purpose in the hands of John Fahy.

The daughter of Champs Elysees has only run six times, but she has already won a race this year, when three-quarters of a length too strong for Eugenic at Salisbury in July.

She was then sent into action over a mile and a quarter at Leicester and did not let the side down by giving Final Countdown a good run for his money That race has worked out really well as the winner has since struck again, while a clutch of also-rans have also subsequently hit the target.

Pink Diamond stayed on strongly at Leicester, so it was not surprising to see her step up to a mile and a half at Ffos Las on her most recent start in August.

Things did work out quite as expected, though, as she grew tired in the rain-softened ground and could only finish third as the 7-4 favourite.

With faster ground at Brighton seemingly assured, Johnson Houghton’s decision to revert to a mile and a quarter looks a sound piece of business given she is not quite yet the finished article over middle distances.

A trappy-looking affair could be hers for the taking if she is fully wound up.

Dark Ocean got his act together towards the end of last month at Wolverhampton and can go one place better on the Kempton Polytrack.

The Jedd O’Keeffe-trained four-year-old has had a rather chequered career, but there were visible signs of a mini-renaissance at Dunstall Park when he only succumbed by half a length to the useful Al Mukhdam over an extended mile.

Dark Ocean was doing his best work towards the finish on that occasion so it will be interesting to see how he gets on in division one of the rewards4racing.com Handicap. Having only had two previous all-weather outings, he should feasibly have plenty to offer on a mark of 70.