PETER NIVEN and Val de Rama are sure to be a popular combination at Sedgefield today. Regular racegoers at the Durham track will need no reminding that Niven is the man to follow there. They have seen Mary Reveley's stable jockey ride 55 course winners in the past five years at a strike rate of nearly one in three.
And the seven year old Val de Rama, trained locally by Denys Smith, will be equally popular with the crowds after five course victories.
He was partnered by Niven when gaining his latest success here in September, when his rider was seen at his strongest to get him home by a neck on his chasing debut.
The Scot has been unavailable for Val de Rama's three subsequent outings, when the gelding has failed to step up on that first effort.
But Niven is back on board for the Racing Channel Handicap Chase today.
Val de Rama is far from harshly treated at the weights for his first run in a handicap over fences with 11st 3lb to carry. He will have no problem with the firm surface or step down to two miles and has shown time and again his effectiveness on this sharp, undulating track.
Val de Rama has more scope for improvement than most of today's exposed rivals and has a fine chance to register his sixth course, victory at the principal expense of Port In A Storm.
Fassan looks the one to be on in the £8,000 added Hennessy Cognac Special Series Novices' Hurdle, the richest race of the day. He showed there are good races to be won with him this term when he went down by just a neck to Executive Design in a valuable novice handicap final at Newcastle last March.
Small fields are the order of the day at the other jumps meeting at Ludlow, where Mill O'The Rags can make it four wins from five starts this season in the Hugh Sumner Handicap Chase.
But all weather Flat racing at Lingfield is as popular as ever with trainers and two races have been divided. The best bet comes in the sixth event, the Lambourn Handicap. Broughtons Formula is thrown in at the weights judged on his recent turf form and has shown enough on an artificial surface in the past to make him worth taking a chance on.
