Nice to see Finn Lambert ride the bumper winner after two decent rides earlier. He has a nice chance on Arizona Cardinal tomorrow, and a win on that might spark a few more chances. His efforts were in stark contrast to the ride by Bellamy on the Lavelle bumper horse. If you are on a third favourite in one of these races you should never be thinking of conceding 15 lengths to the favourites. The horse didn't take a pull so he could have ridden exactly the same race about 10 lengths closer. Is the guy trying to make himself the Spencer of the jumps game? As it happens the horse has shown about as much ability as a 200/1 shot. There was a time when the stable didn't fart about in these races. I am surprised they think they can now.

Hard to believe tomorrow can be any worse for O'Neill yard.

Scarface should be hard to beat in the opener, but it wouldn't be the biggest surprise if Are U Wise To That gave him something to think about. It's a decent pedigree and his bumper win has received a couple of boosts. I don't know much about the breeding of Beachcomber in the bumper other than to say the sire was a good ground horse who hasn't produced anything of note. At Haydock the question is whether Easysland will ever recapture his cross country form. The move seems to have been a disaster, and a mere completion would now look like a success. What price would he have been for this sort of race prior to the move?

Elsewhere the well touted Might I should have every chance at Haydock in the stayers hurdle. It would be nice to see him brush up his hurdling. At Ascot I am hoping a stronger pace will see So Scottish in a better light than the Carlisle match.

I like Henderson, but it is hard to believe he is thinking of not running Constitution Hill. In the golden era of hurdling (67-81) did horses ever duck challenges on account of the ground? Would he pull out of Champion Hurdle on tomorrow's ground? I can only assume we are breeding them softer and softer.

It was a very nasty fall, but I am assuming he is okay as there is nothing in the analysis of the race to suggest otherwise. If that isn't true it was an even worse day than I thought.

Two handicappers tomorrow at Exeter, Holly and Half The Freedom.

As a Graded bumper winner I would imagine hopes were high that Holly would be better than a 125 handicapper. That said last season she beat several subsequent winners easily at Wincanton, and started this one with a reasonable third to the easy winner, Sonigino. She has second top weight tomorrow, but doesn't have to concede that much weight. A little bit of progress from Chepstow should give her every chance. Despite the prices I would much prefer her chance to the much shorter priced Half The Freedom. He has a pretty modest flat pedigree, but didn't run on the flat. Having gone off big prices all starts last season he seemed to show improvement when finishing runner up on seasonal debut. In that race he either didn't travel, or was outpaced (he is upped in trip tomorrow), and to my eyes seemed to find the jumping element a real effort. It's a moderate race, but I couldn't have him at 5/2.

A few interesting races at Punchestown tomorrow, and over here hopefully Bear Ghylls can land his first chasing win, and fingers crossed that Quinlan will make sufficient use of the strong staying Harjo in the opener. The current market suggests he won't.

The answer to the question 4/4, a very easy day for the layers.

Nothing wrong with the ride on Harjo, he just looked embarrassingly slow. The two placed horses from that Carlisle novice have now both bombed next time. Have they just failed to reproduce, or are they not much cop? Given he was a Grade 1 novice hurdler, Bear Ghylls would have been odds on sitting in third and jumping well, but the moment he was asked for an effort he just looked like a very slow plodder. The market 5/4-100/30 seemed to know something wasn't right beforehand? How was that possible? The stable has had a terrible time, and this looks like the nail in the coffin. Nobody is going to want to know the horse after such a wretched performance.

So to the two O'Neill runners. Holly started off in a fairly prominent position, but O'Neill has pretty quickly just allowed her to drop back, and from that position he has just made no effort. The ride, if you can call it that, was a disgrace. This was the third favourite, not a 200/1 shot. Punters got no run for their money, and deserve protection from this sort of thing which brings the game into disrepute. I still haven't seen O'Neill ride a good race all season. He is no more than adequate at best. The stable would have at least as many winners, if not more, if McClernon took the rides. As for the one in the last race he always looked to be struggling, and eventually faded away to nothing.

Not too sure what to make of Carrigdoun Boy. Clearly he wasn't fancied so has he improved for the softer ground, or has he took advantage of several rivals not turning up? Orrisdale didn't offer much hope. Just a little puzzled why you would line up on the front end if you wanted to race fifth or sixth. Isn't it preferable to drive one along on the front end rather than wait until he has dropped back through the field?

Just the one in the bumper tomorrow, Letmetellusomethin. I think he is of some interest at big price. He looked very straightforward on debut, but couldn't find a gear in the straight. That looked a better race than tomorrow, and the form has already received a couple of boosts. Hopefully, the softer ground will see him in a better light. The Nicholls horse went for 245,000, but the form his win has yet to be tested.

Later on the card Blenkinsop tries to follow up his Ludlow win. He only went up 4lbs which for me leaves him at least 10lbs well in. The big question is how much of that advantage is negated by Hugh Nugent?

Well the least said about Inebranlable the better. At least punters didn't have to wait long to know their fate. Never at the races and no promise whatsoever. If they were that worried about trying to be competitive why waste a run? That's the second recent Clarke/Jones effort that has looked like a schooling exercise having attracted some market support. The first of those Ooh Betty runs tomorrow in a race judged on her last performance she has zero chance of winning.

Two for O'Neill tomorrow. Henry Gondoff swaps hurdles for fences, and Brogan for McLernon. You have to have doubts that either is going to make the huge difference he is likely to need. He was the first under pressure on that seasonal debut, and he didn't look in love with the game. It was a surprise that he actually finished. I suppose his only chance rests in handling conditions better than some of his rivals. Itso Fury is perhaps a surprise handicap runner. You might have thought that he would have been upped in class in a conditions race. Perhaps the key is looking for better ground and trying to get a bit more experience as he has only beaten a small number of rivals. It's guesswork if 124 is lenient, but I would rather watch him do it at around 3/1.

They are either not yet in form or not much good on this season's evidence.

Four became two. I was very surprised it wasn't one as there wasn't much in favour of File Illico and 4/1-18/1 tells the story. Although he ended up well beaten Highland Getaway again showed a bit of promise. It didn't look like he had learnt too much from his debut, but once McLernon grabbed hold he jumped much better and kept staying on. It looks like he needs strong handling so hopefully, McLernon will keep the ride.

At Newbury the feature fought out by a couple of pensioners just highlighted how much the stayers division is ripe for something from left field. Following that Warwick novice Lacey did the bookmakers another nice turn in the novice chase. Jet Powered did all you could hope for in the opener. Not sure why Skelton thought it was wise to give him 3-4 lengths start. Doubt Stay Away Fay is anywhere near Hermes Allen's level. He looked booked for second until the Henderson horse ran out of petrol. Paint The Dream has done me a favour in the past, but I got him totally wrong today. Usually a front runner I wonder how many who backed him today thought he would take a lead. His next performance might confirm whether it was as good as it looked, or the race actually fell apart.

Hopefully, three runners tomorrow. It looks a huge ask for Petit Tonnerre off topweight on ground that could well be quicker than ideal. At Bangor I think Gwennie May Boy has every chance of defying his penalty. He was quite impressive for an 80/1 shot over course and distance, and given a step up in trip should be no issue, the testing ground should help his cause. Walk In My Shoes hasn't gone the right way since chasing home Magic Daze in a point, but if the wind op has worked this is a winnable race. The stable could do with a winner.

Big raid at Carlisle tomorrow in a bid to add to the successes earlier this season.

Having been pulled out of Newbury, Soaring Glory has quickly been found another opportunity. Even if first time is the time to catch him I think I would have preferred the 9/1 on Friday than the 6/4 tomorrow. It's not a bad little field for a northern novice. The Gooner sold for 280,000 having run out an easy winner of his only point. He finished strongly in an attritional contest with only two finishers. He might end up better over further, but it will be disappointing if the penalised runner proves too good. I am not sure what has kept Annie Mc off the track, but you would imagine she would need a personal best in order to make a winning return. Flight Deck doesn't travel or jump, but despite those obvious negatives he has won races, including over course and distance when he was still fifth at the final flight. He has dropped a pound for a very poor return in a better race at Aintree. Again Clarke/Jones provide the main opposition. Morning Spirit hasn't fulfilled the promise of his chasing debut, and this doesn't look any easier. Beachcomber was pulled out of an Ascot bumper and has found what looks a very weak race. As I said previously the sire was a good ground horse so perhaps a surprise to see him pulled out on that sort of ground.

One runner tomorrow, Locks Corner at Catterick. Two years ago he was 20lbs higher over fences, but most of his 'form' (mainly in very small fields) since then has been rubbish. Last time he ran Blenkinsop close which reads well, but the winner was given a dreadful ride, and actually won with a ton in hand. It's an ordinary class 4 handicap, but I wouldn't be parting with anything at 4/1.

Again just the one winner on a generally disappointing day. Trapista's best asset is her jumping, and that is completely wasted holding her up for a change of pace she doesn't have. She was nearly brought down which can be another issue with hold up rides. Despite market support Pyffo didn't look the full shilling from the start, but has run well enough before being swamped for pace by a better looking model. Lavelle wins bumper minus Bellamy. Pyffo looks a stayer, and there wouldn't seem much point hanging about in bumpers. Fortunately, Red Dirt Road tugged O'Neill to the front, and stayed on well enough to hold off the runner up. It was a poor race, and presumably, he will now be upped to a more suitable trip. I have said before horses continually make you look foolish, and Biowavego was a prime example. He coped with soft ground at Worcester, but today he hasn't travelled a yard, and the writing was on the wall way before the interference. A mystifying performance from a previously progressive horse. A massive drifter, Bertie's Bandana didn't look to be enjoying things before ejecting O'Neill in the last.

The winner a day never looked likely to continue. Merveillo was a huge drifter, and although McLernon managed to get him to jump, he very slow. The Composeur just did what The Composeur does these days, makes the running, gets headed, and fades away. Cawthorne Banker, another market drifter, appeared to run his race, but found two unexposed ones too good. Despite his pedigree better ground might suit. Another very disappointing gamble on a Bailey horse.

they do seem to be running a lot of very moderate horses in the last 2 weeks! Are they all being lined up for a handicap win off 80-90?

The Pikar form was given a nice boost at Haydock yesterday. It will be interesting to see which race he turns up in after being pulled out of his intended target on Saturday

Four runners at Exter tomorrow. Sideshift has been consistently dreadful since joining the stable, and hard to believe it will be any different in the opener. Pride Rock was an eyecatcher on debut, but chances are this slightly stiffer test isn't going to be enough to see him any better than fifth or sixth. It seems a trait of the stable to keep running horses over inadequate trips, presumably to try and get a better handicap mark? This horse should be good enough to actually win a novice hurdle. Why not try and do that? Maypole Class seems to either win or pull up. Last time the representative could offer no explanation for the improved form. How often is that trotted out? This is much harder. I think Impatient is a first stable runner for Ronnie Bartlett who doesn't seem to have too many bad ones. Chances are it wouldn't need to be that good to win this.

Has that one ran at Sandown come out again was fav they backed Hendersons one of JP's that sadly died cannot find name.

Six runners tomorrow, five and Chepstow and Cloth Cap goes to Aintree.

It's been pretty much downhill for Cloth Cap since he followed up his surprise Ladbroke win. It will be another big surprise if he is in the mix tomorrow. The angle for Destin D'ajonc is his 2/2 Chepstow record, but he has a very poor first time out record. Time To Get Up runs off his Midlands Grand National winning mark, but I am not sure tomorrow presents a stiff enough test. Already discussed Iron Bridge. I am not sure why he is running here. What's the aspiration? It will be disappointing if he can't at least concede the weight to his stablemate. Big Ambitions was a 90,000 3yo and a full brother to Death Duty. Let's hope he is a bit more clued up than the Shantou horse the stable ran at Southwell.

At Sandown I quite fancied Homme Public but not at the price. Jock is on a losing run, and has cocked up on several occasions this season. That certainly hasn't been factored in.

I think Cloth Cap will outrun his odds.

Another shocking day for O'Neill again advertising his lack of talent. His dad shouldn't have to wonder why they are making no progress. The question is why would big owners throw big money at this outfit? The jock is tactically inept, consistently loses ground at fences, and is basically weak.

Destin D'ajonc was beaten running through the tape. He immediately lost his position, was slow at fence after fence, and that was that. A terrible performance. Similar story with Time To Get Up. He lasted a few more fences. The icing on the cake of terrible was Iron Bridge where O'Neill was completely outridden by the stable's 7lb claimer. You could ditch O'Neill tomorrow and just use McLernon and Brace, and you might even see an improvement. The Shantou bumper horse was again clueless. A decent effort by Cloth Cap, but he hadn't quite got the legs to see it out. Just returning to Iron Bridge he is yet another to have come away from Carlisle and disappoint.

Plenty going on elsewhere. I wasn't overwhelmed by Jonbon last time, but even though he has effectively only seen off one rival, I thought he was more convincing today. His jumping was accurate, and the further he went the better he went. I had talked up Banbridge, but it already looks as if he is being steered in a different direction. Shishkin seems to have gone, particularly in the jumping department. I would be surprised if Edwardstone is good enough to win a Champion Chase, if anything today was his Champion Chase. At Aintree Noble **** showed a real change of gear to take the feature. He looks to be improving, and given that we already know he stays the 16/1 looks too big for the Gold Cup. I would much rather have him than L'Homme Presse. If I owned Ahoy Senor he would be going elsewhere. Russell and Fox have had long enough to sort him out, and he looks to be getting worse.

Over in Ireland it was very hard to fault Facile Vega. At one stage he appeared to lose a bit of concentration, but it was very minor. You would think he would be versatile enough to take a lead should they wish. Joyeux Machin was a second bounce back winner for Paul Nolan. He had looked as if he was going the wrong way. Perhaps the Ballymore on decent ground might a better idea than the Supreme? I Am Maximus threw away the opener jumping to the left, and in closing bumper the three expensive pointers are either not very good, or the three jocks have given them idiot rides in a very slowly run race.

Sermando given every chance, but just beaten by a better one on the day. Hungry Hill all over the shop again, including when crowded. Under the circumstances he did well to finish sixth. Yet another awful ride from O'Neill on Anyharminasking. Too many bungles, and then topped it off by being unable to keep the horse straight. Should have gone very close. Jock being exposed on an almost daily basis.

The stable bought 4 of the 16 lots at the Tingle Creek Sale. The haul included a couple by emerging sire, Affinisea, most notably sales topper Brook Bay for 380,000. Do owners look at results and stable jocks? You wouldn't think so.

Weather seemed to turn things upside down at Fairyhouse with quickish ground turning to soft. Lossiemouth took the juvenile in nice style, but 3/1 for the Triunph? Slevin gave Comfort Zone a shocker. The Royal Bond was a lovely result for bookmakers. Marine Nationale was a big drifter while the well punted Champ Kiely fell in a hole and the other well backed one, Path D'oroux ran an absolute shocker. Cromwell has very quickly gone from in form to very much out of form. I am surprised Banbridge even ran in the novice chase. He wants a much quicker surface. Given they will probably duck Jonbon he has drifted to a backable price for the Turners. Time very much appears to have caught up with Honeysuckle. I wasn't sure she was ever travelling that well. Do they call it a day, or go back up in trip? Loved all the excuses for Mullins in the last. Didn't he simply go far too slowly on a staying horse....again?