Rising star David O’Meara is planning a three-pronged attack on the featured £25,000 Totepool Thirsk Hunt Cup when racing resumes at the North Yorkshire course this Saturday.

Last year’s first two, Fort Bastion and Ingleby Star, will both be back to challenge again alongside stable companion Two For Two, who finished third on his only previous run in the Thirsk Hunt Cup back in 2013.

“The plan is for all three to run. They are all in good form and I would expect them to run well, so hopefully one of them will win it” said O’Meara, who will be supplying almost 25 per cent of the 13-runner field.

Fort Bastion was trained by Ruth Carr when winning 12 months ago, but joined O’Meara after finishing unplaced behind Bronza Angel in the Cambridgeshire Handicap at Newmarket last September.

“He had a hard old season last year and it took quite a bit out of him, but he has had a good break and is looking back to his best at home” said the trainer.

Ingleby Star was beaten three-parts of a length by Fort Bastion in last year’s race, but is now 8lbs better off with the winner and that will make him a dangerous contender this time.

“He normally needs a run to put him straight and he had that at Thirsk a couple of weeks ago, so though he was only ninth that day, he should come on a lot and hopefully he will go close again”.

Two For Two may be sharing top weight with One Word More, but is by no means a forlorn hope as he runs off the same mark as when third here to Norse Blues two years ago, a race O’Meara thinks he was unlucky to lose.

“He had a terrible draw in stall 14 of 14 and had to go right round the outside and in the circumstances he ran a tremendous race to finish as close as he did. With a better draw, he would have been very hard to beat so I am hoping he gets a good one on Saturday” the trainer added.

The Totepool Thirsk Hunt Cup is the centrepiece of a cracking seven race card which gets underway with the ToteScoop6 The Millionaire Maker Maiden Auction Stakes at 2.10.