Riaan van Reenen can put it up to the big boys with the appropriately-named Elevated in the Somerset 1200 at Kenilworth on Sunday.

Van Reenen may have struggled to get horses in recent seasons but he has a solid record of success behind him. A work-rider for Ralph Rixon and a race-rider at the Cape Hunt meetings, he spent six years as assistant to Glen Puller before starting on his own in the 2004/05 season.

He started with a bang winning the Final Fling, Winter Classic and Winter Derby with Sweet Virginia and the Settlers Trophy with Count Regal. The Cape Summer Stayers with Halo Hunter followed and in 2007 Diana’s Choice (subsequently sold to Mike de Kock to race in Dubai, Ascot and elsewhere) won both the Cape Nursery and the Fillies Nursery.

As he is one of the first to admit,finding owners can be difficult for the less fashionable trainers but Marsh Shirtliff and Bryn Ressell were among those who came to the party when he bought Elevated for R100 000 at last year’s CTS August Two-Year Old-Sale. They were rewarded with some nice bets when the horse won at 33-10 on Queen’s Plate day.

Van Reenen made no secret about his horse needing the run when he chased home Bishop’s Bounty last time but said yesterday: “He is just about right now and I think Sergeant Hardy and Attenborough look the two to beat. The Snaith horse is exposed but there is a lot of talk about Attenborough who could be anything.”

Sergeant Hardy has not raced since becoming Justin Snaith’s fifth consecutive Met-day Juvenile Listed winner but he has to give weight all round and that is obviously going to make things more difficult for him. In addition no winner of the Met-day race has gone on to win the Somerset in the past nine years.

Joey Ramsden is bidding for his fourth successive Somerset and Attenborough, who cost 20 times as much as Elevated, looked to have plenty of potential when winning at odds-on over this trip two months ago. Stable companion Dancer also has claims.

Whatever his fortunes in the Somerset Ramsden should win the Perfect Promise Sprint with Miranda Frost who has been most impressive in both her starts, moving her trainer to say “I think she is pretty special.”

Live Life looks the better of the Mike Bass pair and Chill Baby Chill should go well but the favourite probably has most to fear from her own stable companion Don’t Stop Dancing.

By Michael Clower