Graeme Rodway's play of the day at Catterick

Graeme RodwayDeputy betting editor

Lord Torranaga

4.20 Catterick

The ability to handle soft ground will be key to winning at Newmarket's July festival later this week, and the same can be said for all the turf meetings on Wednesday. The best of the ground may be at Catterick as it was still good (good to firm in places) on Tuesday, but with lots of rain forecast.

Conditions are likely to be on the soft side of good and that will suit Lord Torranaga in the 2m handicap (4.20). He won at this course on good to soft in May and is only 2lb higher.

He might be a nine-year-old, but he remains in good form and is just 1lb worse off with Sugarpiehoneybunch, who finished two and a quarter lengths behind him when he recorded that last success. That suggests Lord Torranaga is still handicapped to win.

He has confirmed that impression with solid runs in two starts since that May victory. He was sandwiched between two subsequent winners when fourth in a 1m6f handicap here last month, and followed that with a running-on fourth in a 2m handicap at Musselburgh last week.

That was a race run at a good pace and two of the three who finished ahead of him came from further back, while Lord Torranaga was closing rapidly on the one who didn’t at the line, losing out by a neck in the race for third. It was yet another good performance.

He was fourth in this race last year, so trainer Phil Kirby has probably had it on his runner’s itinerary for a while, and the stable has been firing in winners for fun over the last fortnight.

Connor Beasley was on board for Lord Torranaga’s last win and he returns to partner for the first time since, so everything looks to be in place for this consistent stayer to strike again.