IT’S been a while since I dedicated a column to those who had caught the eye on course with a view to future punting.

As always, reader discretion is key here, but the idea is to put up horses who should pay to follow not just in the next few weeks, but through the season, although not all go the way expected, or are always placed to succeed.

Dark Cloud Rising

(Pontefract, April 8th)

Dark Cloud Rising impressed when making most to win on his seasonal debut at Pontefract on his return having been gelded since winning once from four starts as a juvenile.

What was most taking about David O’Meara’s charge was the physical development made since last year, and he looked more like a four-year-old in the paddock compared to his rivals in a competitive 0-90 handicap over six furlongs.

Size isn’t everything, of course, so it was most encouraging that Dark Cloud immediately showed improved form to win by a length and three quarters from Cayman Tai, and he was not fully extended by any means having put the race to bed with a smart change of gear early in the straight.

I don’t think a 7lb rise will stop him winning again and there is a good programme of valuable three-year-old handicaps for him to aim at.

It needs to be noted that he was withdrawn from a subsequent engagement at Newmarket last week due to unsuitable ground and will almost certainly be at his best on good or quicker ground on turf.

Al Arbeed

(Newmarket, April 17th)

Al Arbeed is a Night Of Thunder half-brother to three winners, including the useful six-furlong winner Aramram (by Blue Point) and six/seven-furlong winner Royal Musketeer, out of the three-time fast-ground winner Queen’s Pearl, all of whom raced in the colours of owner/breeder Ziad Galadari. Aramram (who was an excellent second on day one of the Craven Meeting) was also trained by Richard Hannon.

Winner of a Southwell maiden in March, Al Arbeed wasn’t able to maintain his winning run in a good conditions race won by the 104-rated Pellitory, but he very much took my eye in the way he raced, looking straightforward and genuine, as he had on debut.

He lacked the know-how of a winner who had a fair bit of previous experience and a runner-up who was sent off at just 8/1 for the Futurity on his previous start.

Despite that, he shaped as if sure to win more races and has already been handed a mark of 94 on the basis of two runs in the frame.

Given he only made his debut a month ago, he ought to progress again and a quick switch to handicaps could pay dividends, but it will be a surprise if he isn’t up to bagging a listed race or better by the time the summer is in full swing.

I love his bearing, and while not the biggest, he has his heart, and all his limbs, in the right place.

Jubilee Alpha

(Cheltenham, April 17th)

It’s a bit of a cheeky one to throw Jubilee Alpha in here, but she’s in the notebook, so merits a mention after proving herself the most talented performer on show on the mares’ raceday at Cheltenham last week.

The card overall doesn’t really justify its billing but the listed hurdle that Jubilee Alpha won was well contested, with money around for both The Great Nudie from the Colin Bowe stable and Bluey, who was runner-up to the Nicholls mare at Windsor in January. Neither Bluey nor Jubilee Alpha handled the Dawn Run particularly well, running well below their best form, but this was a chance to bounce back, and while Bluey ran no better, a change of tactics saw Jubilee Alpha fully justify the high opinion I had of her before the Festival.

She can make into a leading performer in the division now that connections have found the key.

Keen when handy last month, and with nothing left for the climb from the home turn, Jubilee Alpha looked transformed for being held onto for much longer, travelling much the best and picking up stylishly when asked to go clear with La Pinsonniere from the final flight.

The pair were almost 10 lengths clear in a race not run to stretch the runners out, and it should pay to take a high view of the form.

Jubilee Alpha will stay hurdling next season and will be easy to place now she’s proven her stamina for three miles.

Pink Eyed Pancho

(Taunton, 23rd April)

Now here’s a horse to have plenty of fun with! Pink Eyed Pancho was handed an opening mark of 70 over hurdles after a trio of unpromising qualifying runs, pulling up twice and finishing tailed off in a five-runner race to kid the handicapper into thinking he wasn’t much good.

He then won at the first time of asking in a handicap at Taunton when meeting fast turf for the first time, and while the margin was less than a length, the way he tanked into contention before running green in front promised plenty more to come, and the handicapper can hardly clobber him for a narrow victory.

As the name suggests, Pink Eyed Pancho is closely related to David Brace’s stalwart Pink Eyed Pedro, and like that one, is owned, trained and bred by Brace at his Dunraven Stud near Bridgend.

Brace is nobody’s fool and has done a good job getting the promising Pink Eyed Pancho such a lowly mark running on ground too soft for him.

Like Pink Eyed Pedro, who was runner-up in the Topham Chase at Aintree a few years back, Pancho needs the ground good or quicker and will surely progress faster than the handicapper can keep up, something Brace enjoys, having trained the seemingly regressive Classic Concorde to rack up a sequence of six handicap wins over hurdles last season.

Tralee Girl

(Catterick, 23rd April)

Michael Bell has his team well forward this year after a rather quiet season by his standards in 2024, and he has a number of well-handicapped horses to go to war with in the summer, with Tralee Girl likely to be given a lowly mark after winning a modest mile and a half maiden at Catterick on Wednesday.

A well-bred filly, Tralee Girl was placed on her first two starts and didn’t need to improve to win on her turf debut last time out, running truer than the placed horses to win by a length and a half from market leader Belgravian, from the Andrew Balding stable.

Ridden by 7lb claimer Jay Mackay, who was having her second success, Tralee Girl was never shown the whip and looked to have more in hand having been allowed to drift into the centre of the track by her inexperienced pilot.

Bell found as weak a race as he could for the stoutly bred Tralee Girl, whose dam Debdebdeb was a useful dual-purpose performer for owner Dermot Hanafin.

An eight-time winner, on the flat, over hurdles and fences, Debdebdeb has now produced three winners from as many offspring to race, and given she won at up to a mile and three-quarters on the flat and over three miles as a chaser, stamina and toughness are likely to be what set Tralee Girl apart.