Leicester Preview: Knife Point looks a cut above

The lightly-raced Knife Point has a progressive profile and can take advantage of an ease in grade to land the 1m 4f handicap at Leicester today (3.10).

The Hugo Palmer trained gelding left his debut form well behind to land a 1m 4f maiden at Catterick in game fashion and has since posted two really solid efforts in handicap company.

In the first of those, Knife Point was slowly away but stayed on in terrific style to go down by 1 3/4 lengths to Pintrada in a class 4 contest at Thirsk.

The son of High Chaparral then posted a career-best effort last month at Newmarket when going down by just a short-head to Der Meister in a competitive class 3 affair.

Knife Point led in the latter ,was three lengths clear at halfway and looked all over the winner until getting chinned on the line.

Although now 3lb higher in the weights, it was a performance which suggested Knife Point was on an upward curve and the drop back into class 4 company gives the three-year-old a great chance of getting back into the winners’ enclosure.

Election Night came right back to her best when runner-up last time out and can go one better in the 6f handicap (4.40).

The Tim Easterby trained filly opened her account at the second time of asking when landing a 6f maiden contest at Redcar on soft ground by 3 1/4 lengths.

The daughter of Mount Nelson then posted two solid efforts to make the frame in handicaps off a mark of 70, and gets into this off 1lb lower after a highly encouraging 2 1/4 length second to to Monarch Maid at Ripon.

Election Night showed plenty of pace in the latter and stayed on to good effect, and with the ground coming in her favour the three-year-old looks the one they all have to beat.

In the 7f apprentice handicap that closes proceedings (5.40), the Scott Dixon trained Burnhope can take advantage of a career-low mark to land an overdue success.

The gelding is on a long losing run having not scored since landing a class 4 contest at Kempton in January 2013 off a rating of 70.