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SCOTCH WARRIOR: could have found a good opportunity at Overton
photo: Grace Beresford

The Northern Area season reaches the half-way mark on Saturday March 26th with the popular Lanarkshire & Renfrewshire and Eglinton Point-to-Point at Overton Farm, Crossford.

It has attracted 133 Entries on a seven race card starting at 1.00pm, with the main action preceded at noon by a couple of pony races. Admission is £10 per person including a racecard.

The Confined race should be a penalty kick for the locally trained Scotch Warrior. Successful in a Hunter Chase at Perth last May, the seven-year-old proved his current wellbeing when runner-up to Quotica de Poyans at Kelso earlier in the month. The other 11 Entries are headed by Almost Blue and Salveo.

Siobhan Doolan holds all the aces in the Ladies Open race with a choice of rides on last month's course winner, Joueur d'Estruval and last Saturday's Friars Haugh scorer Tiger Billy. Claire Metcalfe is also in with a shout as she looks for her first winner of the season on Delfinia; after finishing runner-up on her last two starts in testing ground at Alnwick, the mare would be suited by a sounder surface.

Indian Print returns from a three week break in his quest for a fourth win of the campaign in the Mens Open race. Last year's Irish Open winner Desertmore Star should go well, along with ex-hurdler Moment Present, while the useful Briscoe Place might make a quick reappearance after narrowly failing to peg back Badger Foot last Saturday.

Anotherbuck can supplement last month's course and distance victory in the NPPA Club Members race, in which his main rivals are likely to be Commercial Express and Harmony Brig.

It may be worth taking a chance with Little Vantage in the Restricted Race. The sharp Crossford track will suit his front-runing style and he represents the value bet against the likes of Pear Charles, Saddle Pack and Beau Dandy.

The 2m4f Open Maiden race has 30 Entries and will be divided on the day if declarations exceed the safety factor of 16. The shorter trip should be ideal for Valgray, placed on both starts in 2011 at Friars Haugh and Corbridge. He was prominent for a long way in Sorcier's race at Corbridge and meets nothing of his class here. Heart Dancer rates the main danger; the youngster departed at the seventh on his debut at the track last month but will not be far away this time with a clear round.

The concluding three mile Open Maiden Race has 32 Entries and would need 19 declarations to be divided. Sierra Peak, placed on his first two outings this term, deserves another chance after departing at the seventh at Friars Haugh when going well. The top-rated Entries are Hawthorne Bay and Hurlstone Tower; the former has been placed five times from nine starts in recent seasons and should come on a lot for last month's pipe-opener at Crossford when fourth behind Skipping Chapel, while the lightly raced Hurlstone Tower finished thirrd behind The Snurglar and Special Portrait on his reappearance at Dalston last March.

The course lies adjacent to the A72 and is signposted from the M74, leaving at J8 from the South and J7 from the North.

To hear all updates supplied throughout the week and on the morning of the meeting, call the Talking Point news line on 09068 44 60 61*.

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