Alan Thomson, the former Racing Editor at the Daily Record, puts up five tips at Ayr and Newbury on Saturday. View selections below.
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SIZING TENNESSEE (4.05) can make Robbie Power’s first Coral Scottish Grand National ride a winning one at Ayr.
Sizing Tennessee brings some top notch form to the tartan party. He was unfortunate to come down at the penultimate fence when just taking the measure of Black Corton and Fagan at Cheltenham earlier in the season.
More recently, he ran very well in the four-mile National Hunt Chase at the Cheltenham festival when third to Rathvinden and Ms Parfois. Colin Tizzard’s gelding struggled to get up the Cheltenham hill but this flatter track and quicker ground will be ideal for Sizing Tennessee.
Fagan represents the Tiger Roll Aintree dream team of Gordon Elliott and Davy Russell and bookmakers will be wary of another huge Saturday pay-out.
Vintage Clouds looks fairly treated and it could be a blessing in disguise that Sue Smith’s gelding missed out on a run in last weekend’s Aintree Grand National slog. Vintage Clouds finished seventh to Vicente in this race last year, clouting the first fence when trying to impose himself from the front.
The eight-year-old has been most consistent, finishing a running-on fourth in the Welsh Grand National, before chasing home Ballyoptic at Wetherby and finishing third to Coo Star Sivola at Cheltenham. Vintage Clouds is adaptable ground-wise, having won by 18 lengths on good to soft at Aintree last season.
Ballyoptic re-opposes on 5lb worse terms but ran a cracker at Cheltenham when fourth to impressive Presenting Percy in the RSA Chase. His trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies was out of luck last Saturday when Blaklion was brought down at the first fence but has a fine record in this race, saddling the second and third last year, Cogry and Benbens.
Vicente bids for an unprecedented third straight victory in the race and although 4lb higher this time round he will be a fresh horse having been pulled out late at Liverpool due to the deep ground. His ability to carry big weights in the Scottish Grand National is clearly a bonus and he has 11st 7lb to
lump round compared to 11st 12lb last year. Drying ground increases confidence in the Paul Nicholls- trained stayer making history.
If all 16 runners go to post for the QTS Scottish Champion Hurdle there are several each-way options open to punters in another wide-open renewal.
My two against the field are last year’s winner CHESTERFIELD (2.55) and I’m A Game Changer.
Chesterfield ran a stormer at the Cheltenham festival, finishing a close fourth to Mohaayed in the 24-runner County Hurdle. The ground was riding much softer than he ideally prefers and he was a late withdrawal at Aintree last Saturday with the track riding deep. The eight-year-old runs off the same mark as 12 months ago and everything is in place for another big run.
At a much bigger price I’m A Game Changer is stepped up in class following his easy Ludlow success. Philip Hobbs was bringing him back from a nice summer break and I’m A Game Changer picked up a penalty to ensure he made today’s line-up. Connections probably have had this race in mind for some time.
LORD OF THE ROCK (3.45) is a bit unpredictable but he has conditions in his favour in the Newbury Spring Cup.
Ground on the easy side is a prerequisite for the six-year-old and he goes particularly well in races over a straight course.
Lord Of The Rock landed the 2016 Doncaster Spring Mile from Donncha when trained by Michael Dods and he was fourth in the same race this year on his first start for Jedd O’Keefe. Silvestre De Sousa is a cracking booking and stall 19 should be to his advantage.
Humbert, fighting fit from the all-weather, ran a gallant second in the Spring Mile, with John Gosden’s Taqdeer a disappointing favourite back in seventh.
Graphite Storm runs the track well and enjoys a soft surface.
DEFOE (2.00) enjoyed a very productive three-year-old campaign, his only disappointing run coming in the William Hill St Leger when beating only one home.
Roger Varian kicks him off in Newbury’s Group 3 Dubai Duty Free Surprise Stakes over 1m 4f and Defoe won twice at the Berkshire track last season, most notably when landing the Betfred Geoffrey Freer Stakes. He goes well on soft ground and will take all the beating if wound up.
EXPERT EYE (3.10) will be all the rage in the Group 3 Greenham Stakes as he bids to get his career back on track.
Sir Michael Stoute’s colt shed his unbeaten tag when flopping in the Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket in the autumn but is much better judged on his demolition job in the Qatar Vintage Stakes at Glorious Goodwood when romping four lengths clear of Zaman and this week’s Newmarket winner Mildenberger. Fourth horse James Garfield re-opposes but is well held on the book.
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Tally Ho
Alan
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