NAP of the Day: Track And Trace worth following at Catterick

On a quiet Thursday, it's over to Catterick - where a lightly-raced chaser for Jonjo O'Neill has caught the eye - for my latest NAP of the Day.

The feature race at Catterick on Thursday is the North Yorkshire Grand National - a Class 3 handicap chase over 3m6f.

Eight go to post, including last year's winner Bushypark. He should go well again for local trainer Philip Kirby, but ultimately he's now 10 and half as many pounds higher in the handicap - and this time he meets younger, potentially well-handicapped types.

None more so than Jonjo O'Neill's Track And Trace, who's an intriguing runner.

The seven-year-old, who fetched £70,000 in December 2021, has been a slow-burner for the team at Jackdaws Castle, but he appears to be coming to hand.

His chasing debut at Leicester in November, off an opening mark of 109, was nothing to shout about, but he improved beyond recognition when a valiant runner-up in a 0-110 affair at Carlisle before Christmas.

That form looks very strong in the context of Wednesday's race. The winner Anglers Crag followed up at Market Rasen the other day off a five-pound higher mark, while the third-placed Fenland Tiger - beaten over five lengths - was a comfortable winner at Doncaster on Wednesday.

That suggests to me that a four-pound rise in the weights looks very manageable for this son of Mahler, who might well be improving at a rate of knots.

He seemed to relish the test (3m2f) at Carlisle the last day and showed nothing to infer that this marathon trip will catch him out.

I suppose the likely soft ground is a slight concern, but it's far from desperate with little to no further rain in the forecast, so a slight concern is all that is.

If he proves adept at both the distance and in the conditions, he could prove much too good for this modest field.