By Will Lefebve

Four past or present champion British flat race apprentices - one of them the son of a Brighton postman - could theoretically “go through the card” between them when they descend on the seaside racetrack on Tuesday.

Tom Queally (2004 title holder), Jason Watson (2018), Cieren Fallon (2019 and 2020) and last year’s top “kid”, Billy Loughnane, are all in action at the Freshfield Road venue, booked for a combined total of 19 mounts out of the 47 declared starters on the six-race programme.

However, another rising star, and my confident tip for the 2024 apprentice title, will be doing his utmost to spoil the party for his seniors as he muscles in on three legs of the afternoon skirmishes.

His name? Joe Leavy, and those present for the recent three-day Festival will recall how he floated back to his Collingbourne Ducis, Wiltshire base following three good days at the office that yielded three winners (including two of the feature races) from just six rides.

The Potteries protege, attached to Richard Hannon’s all-conquering 200-plus stables, turns 19 on September 1.

He has rattled up five more victories since that Brighton treble - two at Lingfield, one at Chepstow, a brilliant 16-1 triumph last Saturday at Newbury’s televised Premier fixture on Faustus (plus a 50-1 second, and another placed third), and a slice of Pontefract cake on Sunday.

Joe dashed north for just one ride, and made it nine wins from his last 29 rides as he “conducted” his way to another major triumph in a valuable handicap on the James Evans-trained Dream Composer, who was well tuned up for the challenge. More music to the ears of the rapidly-expanding Joe Leavy fan club! The kid’s on fire!

His standout ride here is top weight Foinix (3.25). The Lewes-trained gelding has carried Joe to two straightforward wins, the first a 12-length romp here 11 days ago. A 5lb penalty should not prevent the hat-trick.

But Leavy's colleagues may dominate the rest of the card, with Brighton-born Watson tipped for a treble, two of them for regular long distance raider Tony Carroll (4.00 & 4.30) and the other for his former boss Andrew Balding (2.55).

Finally, 'Billy the Kid' could well bookend the meeting on Blue Point Express (2.25) and Redknapp raider Wake Up Harry (5.00).

SELECTIONS:- 2.25 Blue Point Express, 2.55 Berkshire Nugget, 3.25 FOINIX (NAP), 4.00 Long Call, 4.30 River Wharfe, 5.00 Wake Up Harry.