Simon Holt has two selections at Uttoxeter as he previews Saturday's feature racing both there and at Kempton.
Recommended bets: Saturday racing
1pt win American in 2.25 Uttoxeter at best morning price - promising stayer has plenty more to offer
Saturday's Betfred Midlands Grand National at Uttoxeter is always one of the slogs of the season, and dour stayer GONALSTON CLOUD could be well suited to the task.
This quite lightly-raced ten-year-old has come into his own over fences and long distances and is very consistent having won four of his last nine starts and finished runner-up on another three occasions.
Gonalston Cloud is becoming a bit of a 'National' specialist winning the Lincolnshire National (3m3f) at Market Rasen on Boxing Day before chasing home Straidnahanna and Dancing Shadow respectively in the North Yorkshire and Edinburgh versions at Catterick and Musselburgh.
In a typically open renewal, Nick Kent's gelding looks solid each-way value and the fact ground conditions at the Staffordshire course are less testing than usual is probably in his favour.
One of the big dangers has to be Mysteree, another progressive stayer who took the Eider Chase at Newcastle over a similar distance last month when Gevrey Chambertin ran one of his better races until unseating his rider.
Michael Scudamore's charge had to dig deep that day, eventually holding off Knockanrawley by four lengths, and much will depend how he has recovered from what is always an arduous race. A subsequent 6lb rise in the ratings looks reasonable.
However, if there is a blot on the handicap, it could be Spookydooky who was beaten just seven lengths into fourth in this race last year behind the reopposing out-of-form winner Firebird Flyer and third-placed Cogry.
Jonjo O'Neill's gelding is now 10lb lower in the ratings, 7lb better off with Cogry and returned to some form recently when third to Kingswell Theatre at Exeter. However, he is not the most consistent of stayers these days.
Up 5lb is the hat-trick-seeking Final Nudge who tries a marathon trip for the first time while Warrantor would have solid claims if able to reproduce his second to Viconte Du Noyer at Cheltenham in November.
The Warren Greatrex-trained gelding should have more to come given he is just seven years old, but would probably have gone closer in two starts since if he had jumped more fluently including when seventh to Vieux Lion Rouge in the Grand National Trial at Haydock (Houblon Des Obeaux eighth).
Earlier, AMERICAN may have enough class to defy top weight in the Betfred TV Novices' Handicap Chase.
Harry Fry's promising, but reportedly fragile, gelding missed Cheltenham this week to wait for softer going here and, while not obviously thrown-in, has travelled like a very talented horse when winning his last two starts. There could be much more to come.
Meanwhile, at Kempton, the forecast good ground could prove ideal for BALLYBOLLEY in the Winners Are Welcome At Matchbook Silver Bowl Handicap Chase as he bids to improve on his third place behind Portway Flyer in the corresponding race last year.
After a very easy win at Haydock next time, the eight-year-old is 8lb higher in the handicap now but he shaped well on an unsuitably soft surface when returning from a break at Newcastle last month and could now be set for another successful spring campaign.
Posted at 1115 GMT on 17/03/17.
