NAP of the Day: Tune into Velvet Rhythm at Catterick

When it rains, it pours. I tried to play it simple on Wednesday, but when is horse racing ever that? The selection, who drifted from EVS to 11/4, went down by a whisker to a horse she'd already beaten by just under a length on debut. Sigh.

Sooner rather than later, our luck will turn. Hopefully on Thursday, as NAP of the Day duty takes us to the North Yorkshire town of Catterick.

I waxed lyrical about Jack Callan just a week ago, and I'm going to do so again here.

The 19-year-old apprentice jockey has 'only' won once in 16 rides since - albeit on a 20/1 shot in a £15k handicap at Newmarket - but his strike rate in the past fortnight remains 21%.

I think he's excellent value for his three-pound claim, which I hope to take advantage of as many times as possible before it's non-existent. That won't take long.

Callan, son of multiple Group 1-winning jockey Neil, rides VELVET RHYTHM for Charlie Johnston at Catterick on Thursday and as far as I'm concerned he's got every chance of adding another winner to the tally.

The three-year-old daughter of Awtaad, who races in the silver silks of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, showed promise in three maidens at Ayr, Lingfield and Southwell between August-October last year, earning an opening mark of 62.

It was off that mark she opened her account on handicap debut at Newmarket earlier this month, beating a field of 10 by just under a length.

That was a £15k event, a Class 4 for horses rated 0-80, which featured the likes of Thaluna for William Haggas and Tom Marquand plus Nanoscience for Andrew Balding and Oisin Murphy.

There's nothing of that ilk in opposition on Thursday, as the selection drops into a Class 5 for horses rated 0-70.

The odds suggest Amelia's Joy, for Michael Herrington, is the main danger. She's in rude health, winning two of her last three starts, but a five-pound rise feels harsh as she steps up in class.

Craig Lidster and Brian Ellison run Blufferonthebus and Homestrait respectively, both representing the Nick Bradley syndicate. They're exposed and vulnerable to one that might have a bit of hand.

And I believe Velvet Rhythm does. She was put up just three pounds for her victory at HQ, which in my book is a very generous piece of handicapping. It's also somewhat irrelevant, as it's negated by Callan's claim anyway.

She looks rock-solid to me, and I expect her to take the world of beating.

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