Andrew McLaren sits in for Andrew Asquith this week and he has two early bets, coming in the Scottish Grand National and Greenham Stakes.
Weekend View: Saturday April 12
1pt win High Class Hero in the 3.35 Ayr at 14/1 (William Hill & 888 Sport)
1pt win Chancellor in the 2.35 Newbury at 9/2 (William Hill)
The Willie Mullins battalion will descend on Ayr yet again this weekend with 40 entries across Saturday’s card as he hunts down Dan Skelton in the race to be crowned champion trainer in the UK.
11 of those are in the Coral Scottish Grand National, the race he won last year with Macdermott, who is back for more, and at this early stage, what Mullins runs, and where, involves a lot of guesswork from a punting perspective. But with the trainers’ championship now firmly in his sights after an astonishing 1-2-3-5 in the English equivalent, Mullins is surely going to aim his strongest bullets at the biggest pot on offer. That’s what I’m putting my faith in, anyway.
Chosen Witness is the one who is being backed early, and you can see the case for him. He won on this card last year, has shaped with promise in each of his three starts over fences this season and was moving well before coming down four from home in a Grade 2 at Navan last time. It’s not ideal coming into the hustle and bustle of a race like this on the back of a fall though, especially for a horse so inexperienced over fences, and the juice has been squeezed out of his price at around 4/1.
The most interesting of the Mullins team to my eye is HIGH CLASS HERO. A winner of his first four races over hurdles, he was sent off as short as 10/1 for an Albert Barlett last year, albeit he ran poorly, but bounced back from that rare below-par Cheltenham run to push Dancing City close in a Grade 1 at Punchestown. That’s strong form in the context of this race.
Like Chosen Witness, he lacks experience with only three runs over fences under rules, but novices filled the first two spots in this race last year, he has plenty of experience in point-to-points (won his last three starts in that sphere) and has looked an assured jumper in the main so far. And although he was beaten at prohibitive odds (2/13) last time, that’s easily forgiven – two-and-a-half miles on good ground not bringing his stamina into play and he was just picked off by a speedier rival late on.
The Scottish National is his only entry of the weekend, unlike some of the other Closutton team, and this stamina-sapping marathon test could bring out any amount of improvement in him. The 12/1 on offer makes plenty of appeal and he’s the one I want on side at this stage.
The Scottish Champion Hurdle is one I’m happy to leave alone for now. Kargese was such an emphatic winner of the County Hurdle that it wouldn’t be a surprise to see her follow up here before testing her mettle in graded company again. Ethical Diamond shaped well in fourth behind her at Cheltenham, but was it enough to convince me he can turn the form around, even with a pull at the weights? I’m not sure. Kabral Du Mathan is still a young horse on an upward curve for Paul Nicholls, who enjoyed a terrific Aintree, and he's tempting at 6/1, but he’s found one too good the last twice and I think he might want further than two miles to be seen at his best. I'd expect Kargese to have too much speed for him under these conditions.
There’s some quality action on the Flat at Newbury too this weekend as the three-year-olds put their Classic aspirations to the test in the Fred Darling and Greenham, and a quality, big-field handicap to get stuck into with the Spring Cup.
CHANCELLOR is a horse I have high hopes for this season. Take out his run at Ascot where he got worked up in the pre-parade ring beforehand and he was wildly impressive in his two wins, both coming at Doncaster, without looking the finished article yet.
The second of those came under a 6 lb penalty and the runner-up won well next time out, so there’s substance to the form, as well as the visual impression he created, and I’m excited to see what he can do this year. The Gosdens have Field Of Gold in here too, but Rab Havlin is already booked on Chancellor, so hopefully he is an intended runner, and if he’s the horse I think he could be, then the 9/2 on offer could look a good bit of business come Saturday afternoon.
The closest I came to a bet in the Spring Cup was Native Warrior. He has some strong three-year-old form to his name having run well behind Notable Speech and Persica at Kempton before finishing first home in his group in the Britannia at Royal Ascot, and surely has his name on one of these big handicaps at some point this season.
He shaped well in the Lincoln last time, too, making his effort earlier than ideal in a race which suited those who were held up, with the field running into a strong headwind, and he’s Wathnan Racing’s only entry this time, so should have the assistance of James Doyle. It’s hard to recommend him from an antepost perspective at 5/1 though, with that price unlikely to be much shorter, if at all, come Saturday.
- Preview posted at 1015 BST on 08/04/2025
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