No masking Zorro's claims at Bangor

Mask Of Zorro can make it five in a row when he lines up for the Legend, The Mogul, Chris Rowe Handicap Hurdle at Bangor on Wednesday.

The six-year-old, who is trained by Joe Tizzard, has run up a fantastic sequence this season since turning his hand to handicapping.

Two wins at Fontwell were followed by successes at Taunton and Doncaster, with the gelding stepping incrementally up in trip to take on 4900m on his most recent start.

Naturally the handicapper has been following his progress closely and his mark has followed the same upwards trajectory, but he does not appear to be finished just yet and the booking of 7lb claimer Rian Corcoran aids his cause as he aims for win number five.

Dan Skelton's Mirabad looks a cut above in the Wrexham Lager "Chasing Excellence" Novices' Chase, run over a trip just shy of 3600m.

The seven-year-old has experience in all disciplines as a successful Flat career in France was followed by a good spell over hurdles for Dr Richard Newland and Jamie Insole, after which he took to jumping fences this season for Skelton and showed himself perfectly capable in that sphere too.

After winning a competitive beginners' chase at the first attempt he was third in the Wayward Lad at Kempton, and though he unseated at Windsor he was then second as the outsider of three in the Kingmaker at Warwick.

A 10-length loss there hardly troubled the winner, but out of graded company here he is part of a similarly small field and is certainly the horse to beat.

At Wincanton Anthony Honeyball's Ashburton can get off the mark in the Wincanton Fillies' "Junior" National Hunt Flat Race.

She is by Planteur and out of a dam called Burton Ash, who has produced two black type performers in Secret Edge and Jasmine Bliss - the latter the runner-up of the Pendil at the weekend.

Ashburton was second on debut in a Doncaster bumper and can progress from that promising run to come to the fore here.

At Kempton there are signs of the Flat season appearing on the horizon in the "European Road To The Kentucky Derby" Conditions Stakes, with a handful of stables sending out highly-rated horses.

Among them is George Boughey's Utmost Good Faith, who has been making a good fist of his career on these shores since joining the stable following his purchase by Middleham Park Racing.

Prior to that he was a winner in Ireland for Fozzy Stack, form he has upheld with two wide-margin strikes at Kempton and Wolverhampton.

Here he will have a little more to contend with but his last time out win was despite a 10lb rise and he is yet to really settle in his races, pointing towards even more promise than the bare result suggests. - Press Association

TAB is betting on 4 UK meetings on Wednesday. Here are the tips.

LINGFIELD: Race 1: 15.12 Dynamite Defense, Race 2: 15.42 Solar Invincible, Race 3: 16.12 Moonshine, Race 4: 16.42 Desdemona, Race 5: 17.12 Kondratiev Wave, Race 6: 17.42 Mintana, Race 7: 18.12 Monks Mead, Race 8: 18.42 Profit Street.

WINCANTON: Race 1: 15.50 Tap Tap Shamie, Race 2: 16.20 Shalfa, Race 3: 16.50 The Long Point, Race 4: 17.20 Le Soleil Reve, Race 5: 17.50 Hatos, Race 6: 18.20 Thunder Rock, Race 7: 18.50 Ashburton.

BANGOR: Race 1: 16.00 Halftheworldaway, Race 2: 16.30 The Hawkstonian, Race 3: 17.00 Mask Of Zorro, Race 4: 17.30 MIRABAD (NAP), Race 5: 18.00 Gold Emery, Race 6: 18.30 Daring Plan, Race 7: 19.00 Ostend.

KEMPTON: Race 1: 19.05 Hove Ranger, Race 2: 19.40 Marlborough Place, Race 3: 20.10 Nikovo, Race 4: 20.40 Top Of The Class, Race 5: 21.10 Utmost Good Faith, Race 6: 21.40 Parisian Scholar, Race 7: 22.10 Em Four.

ALL TO COME: Mirabad (Bangor, Race 4) and Ashburton (Wincanton, Race 7).