'It’s still four legs and a tail, a green field and some white rail - it's just some fences will be in the way!'

Dougie Costello has had top-level success under both codes and is looking forward to a rare foray back over jumps with two rides at Market Rasen on Thursday.

Costello, who won the Sefton Novices' Hurdle on Wayward Prince and Triumph Hurdle on Countrywide Flame, has plied his trade on the Flat since 2015 but rode on the Lincolnshire National card three years ago when second on Cash To Ash in the feature for Mark Walford.

The jockey-trainer combination team up again with Giovanni Change in the 3m3½f Lincolnshire National (1.47).

Costello said: “Mark is a good friend and my agent Richard [Hale] came up with the plan to head to Market Rasen again. It’s still four legs and a tail, a green field and some white rail whether it’s on the Flat or over jumps – it’s just some fences will be in the way! 

"I rode over jumps for 16 years though and look forward to it for the day. It was good fun when I rode back there a few years ago and hopefully I can have some luck.

“It’s a bit frowned upon in Britain to ride over both disciplines and you can’t keep your rides as you have commitments under both codes. It’s hard to get the mix right and I like concentrating on the Flat nowadays.”

Giovanni Change: will be Dougie Costello's mount in the Lincolnshire NationalCredit: Getty Images/Pool

Giovanni Change is a four-time winner at Market Rasen and has finished in the first three in ten of his 15 starts at the Lincolnshire track. He is a two-time runner-up from five chase starts, while stablemate Some Bro, the other ride for Costello, ran better than the form book suggests on his debut over fences last time and runs in the 3m novice handicap chase (12.40).

“Giovanni Change is stepping up in trip and is a regular around Market Rasen,” said Costello. “He’s partially sighted in one eye and I schooled him at the weekend. He seemed fairly cute, so I’ll leave him be and let him get into a rhythm.

“Some Bro was running well before sprawling on landing and being pulled up last time. He could run a big race with a clear round.”

Dougie Costello: enjoyed a good link-up with Charlie Appleby this yearCredit: Harry Trump (Getty Images)

Costello has enjoyed a successful link-up with Charlie Appleby this year, having taken up a riding-out job at the Godolphin stable, and he has ridden 12 winners from 45 mounts for the Newmarket trainer.

The rider, who won the Commonwealth Cup and Haydock Sprint Cup on Quiet Reflection in 2016, said: “It was hard to get any momentum going at the start of the year, so I had to try something different and took the job at Charlie’s. He's been good to me and given me some rides and I’ve been lucky and the partnership has progressed.

“I was very lucky in my jumping career as John Quinn had some classy Flat horses who went over jumps, and then I rode a lot of nice horses on the Flat for Karl Burke. It kind of brought it back to me at Charlie's just what it’s like to sit on some classy horses in the mornings.

“It’s an eye-opener to see how they work around such well-bred and nice horses; it’s different from working with handicappers, where it’s more of a numbers game.”

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