The last few weeks of the jumps season are upon us, but it’s all quality racing from here on in. Today, we visit the west coast of Scotland for the second Grand National within the space of a week, the Scottish Grand National. Plus there Guineas Trail action on the flat at Newbury.
Ayr
Irish Jewel
2:15 – Scottish Champion Hurdle (Grade Two) – Ethical Diamond @ 4/1 (William Hill)
The Willie Mullins battalion has arrived to try and defend their masters trainers championship. The gap is around the £100,000 mark between him and Dan Skelton at this moment. Mullins has four in the race, but Ethical Diamond, for me, represents his best chance. Surprisingly, he’s only had one win over hurdles but ran incredibly well in the County Hurdle at Cheltenham. Carrying top weight in a limited handicap can be tough, but Mullins horses are always respected.
For the home side, Cracking Rhapsody may present as a good each-way chance. He wasn’t too far away when running on late for seventh in the County Hurdle at the Festival and runs off the same mark. However, he is higher than last year’s mark for third, but has made fantastic progress this year and cannot be discounted. 16/1 (General).
Scottish Rocker
3:35 – Scottish Grand National (Premier H’cap) – Rock My Way @ 11/1 (William Hill)
I tipped up Rock My Way as an each-way chance at Cheltenham, and probably the best each-way chance of the meeting. And boy, did he deliver. He couldn’t catch Haiti Couleurs but had incredible staying power, even if his jumping still needed ironing out. These National races and marathon trips will suit him down to the ground and the Spring ground will also be to his liking.
The Kniphand is racing very consistently with five top three finishes from his previous five starts and has won twice this season. He’s still unexposed at these marathon distances after he placed second in the Grimthorpe Handicap Chase at Doncaster over a month ago. Like Rock My Way, his last run showed that he has buckets of stamina which will be put to good use here. 11/1 (William Hill).
It would remiss if I missed out a Willie Mullins runner here and I fancy one at a price. Klarc Kent has been disappointing this season and finished eighth at Cheltenham. You could argue there’s a slight bit of form that has worked out from the Thyestes Chase which produced Nick Rockett. However, he finished fourth in this race last year off a mark of 132 and has been dropped to 124 this year. Jonathan Burke has been booked to ride, so requires a second look. 22/1 (General).
Newbury
Something’s Cooking
2:00 – Dubai Duty Free Stakes (Group Three) – Simmering @ 100/30 (William Hill)
One of the two-year-olds on the radar last season, Simmering had a busy campaign but has firmly put herself into the Guineas picture already. Her biggest success was in the G2 Prix Calvados at Deauville before finishing second in the G1 Moyglare Stud Stakes at the Curragh. She’s born to be a miler so improvement is expected in this trial.
Rash Decision
2:35 – Greenham Stakes (Group Three) – Rashabar @ 7/2 (General)
Possibly the surprise package in the two-year-old sphere was Rashabar from the Brian Meehan stable. He was worth noting when breaking his maiden in the G2 Coventry Stakes. He then placed narrow seconds to Whistlejacket in the Prix Morny and was a neck down to Camille Pissarro in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagadere. Down in grade, he is expected to come on for that last run and stamp a claim for the 2000 Guineas.
