Some typically wild Scottish weather may have put paid to Edinburgh’s world-renowned Hogmanay celebrations. But that’s good news for Scottish Sun columnist and Racing TV analyst Ed Watson, who’s feeling more bright-eyed and bushy-tailed than expected as he aims to ring in 2025 with a winner or two on Musselburgh’s sold-out New Year’s Day card.
THE BIG-RACE BET
BOOMSLANG (2.20)
I love it when a plan comes together. The immortal words of Hannibal Smith from one of my teenage staples, The A-Team.
Rebecca Menzies wasn’t even a twinkle in her parents’ eyes when the iconic US action-adventure series was dropped by NBC after four seasons and 98 episodes. But I get the feeling the Co Durham-based handler - who became Britain’s youngest trainer when she took out her licence in 2013, aged just 23 - has been working on a master plan of her own with BOOMSLANG, who’s taken particularly well to fences this autumn.
Tidy wins at Downpatrick (2m4f) and Carlisle (3m) either side of a luckless near-miss at Newcastle, where a string of leaps out to his right cost him ground and the glory, smack of a horse who should be well-suited to the nuances of Musselburgh.
Menzies is a shrewd target trainer who has previous at the East Lothian course, having sent out Curley Finger to land one of the valuable Go North Series finals and a Pertemps qualifier here.
While a 7lb hike in the weights and rise in class will demand more from Boomslang, I suspect Menzies has had this £40,000 feature mapped out as an ideal stepping stone to the newly beefed-up £100,000 Scottish Champion Chase, which is the jewel in the crown of Musselburgh’s Scottish Cheltenham Trials Weekend on February 1-2.
Timeform top-rated here, with the additional ‘p’ denoting further improvement is expected, don’t be surprised to see Boomslang returning early next month chasing the second leg of a valuable double.
Breizh River found Grade 2 company too hot behind L’Eau Du Sud at Cheltenham’s November Meeting. Nevertheless, he’s made a highly promising start to his chasing career, winning three of his five starts, and likely remains capable of better if staying this longer trip.
The Inside Word
“Boomslang has improved significantly over fences and should be 3-3 as he threw away the race at Newcastle by jumping right-handed. He’s always been a bit quirky. He tried to run out on the bend at Catterick in a bumper one day. We got away with it over hurdles but going right-handed with him over fences looks to be the key. I just hope they don’t get too much rain as he’s better on a sounder surface.” - Rebecca Menzies, trainer
THE BEST BET
SWEET FANTASY (1.45)
Benson has won the last two editions of the £30,000 Hogmaneigh Hurdle, while Liari was an emphatic, five-length winner of the Scottish Triumph Hurdle Trial over 2m on his only previous visit here in February.
The latter - one of two runners for Paul Nicholls, who is 31-90 here for an eye-popping 34-per-cent strike-rate - is likely to go off favourite, despite failing to really build on his reappearance when only sixth in Newbury’s Gerry Fielden last time.
The somewhat in-and-out form of Nicholls' runners of late, plus the fact Liari is unproven over this extra half-mile, makes me think he’s worth opposing with the only runner on the card from a yard that can seemingly do no wrong at present.
SWEET FANTASY, a winner of both her starts in novice company in the early part of 2024, hasn’t been seen to best effect in two runs back over timber so far this term.
James Owen’s mare was too keen for her own good when returning from a summer break at Wetherby; then found herself at a significant positional disadvantage under a much more conservative ride on her handicap debut at Cheltenham’s December meeting.
She needs to step forward from that latest effort - her first over this 2m4f trip and in a first-time hood - but a 2lb drop from the handicapper coupled with the 5lb claim of Alex Edwards, whose last three rides for Owen have all been winners, make her look appealingly treated if she can. Any significant rain would be no negative to her chances, either.
THE NEXT BEST
OKAVANGO DELTA (1.10)
Paul Robson's runner has found a nice groove at Musselburgh the last twice and is fancied to get back to winning ways.
A two-and-a-half length scorer from Divas Doyen over this track and trip in November, OKAVANGO DELTA found only Ribeye too good in his follow-up bid upped to 3m last time.
While the natural assumption is to think he found a 6lb rise beyond him over the longest trip he’d tackled, I felt a canny piece of race-riding by Danny McMenamin on Ribeye upon straightening for home was the decisive factor between victory and defeat.
McMenamin seized an opportunity to move Ribeye alongside Okavango Delta and box him into a pocket on the rail behind the leader, who was just beginning to falter. It enabled him to pinch a couple of lengths, while also putting Craig Nichol aboard Okavango Delta on the back foot and forcing the errors three out and two out which ultimately sealed favourite backers’ fate.
He still retains some handicapping scope, having won off 5lb higher over hurdles, and an attacking ride back down in trip can see him get the better off Divas Doyen once again, despite meeting Sandy Forster’s runner on 4lb worse terms.
The Inside Word
"He should go back up there and do his job. He stayed the 3m fine last time, but I didn’t think he jumped as well once the pace slackened off. That’s the main reason we’re coming back to 2m4f. Craig knows him well and will be nice and positive on him again.” - Paul Robson, trainer
Published at 1130 GMT on 31/12/24
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