Festive Fixtures At Southwell Racecourse Handicap Stakes

Avatar Jet arrives fit on a 12-day turnaround, has run over today's trip and going, and our rating puts him as the top-ranked runner in the field — the worry is that he has been fifth and seventh in his last two starts, so he must find improvement.

Bounced back to land a win four starts back, but has been inconsistent since, finishing unplaced and seventh before a solid second last time out; has run over today's trip and going, and 32 days between runs leaves his freshness an open question.

Relevant Range won two starts back and returns after 32 days looking well-placed under 133 lb from stall 11, with experience of today's distance and going in his favour; a fourth last time out hints at consistency worth respecting.

Rusheen Boy sits bottom of the weights on 133 lb and has experience of today's trip and conditions, but consecutive fifth-place finishes in his last two starts make him hard to fancy, and ranked eleventh of fourteen on our figures, he faces a steep ask here.

Winless in his last six starts, Portman Blue has form figures that make for grim reading, though he has run over today's distance and going before and draws stall one carrying 133 lb; our rating edges above his official mark, offering a sliver of hope for a long-overdue improvement.