Our panel of Matt Brocklebank, Tony McFadden and John Ingles look ahead to some of the weekend highlights by tackling the key questions.
What do you expect to see from big Grand National hope Monbeg Genius at Kelso on Saturday?
Tony McFadden: Monbeg Genius enjoyed an excellent first campaign over fences last season when he won three times before coming home third behind Corach Rambler and Fastorslow in the Ultima Handicap Chase at the Cheltenham Festival, and his encouraging third-place finish in the Coral Gold Cup suggests there's more to come from this lightly-raced sort. He's not been seen since the start of December, however, and has the Grand National as his major objective so he is entitled to come on for this outing. Aye Right can take advantage of any lack of sharpness. He may be 11 but his runner-up effort in the rearranged Veterans' Final at Warwick shows he retains plenty of ability, and he has a good record at this venue.
John Ingles: Having tipped him ante-post for Aintree in Timeform’s Horses To Follow I’m hoping this tees him up nicely for that, win or lose! The other one in the field with an interesting profile is Thunder Rock but he has to give weight to Monbeg Genius and isn’t yet proven over this far, and while Monbeg Genius has his absence since the Coral Gold Cup to overcome, it’s encouraging he’s coming back at a time when his stable’s having plenty of winners. Ballabriggs won the Grand National after being beaten in this, so even if he does need this run, defeat here wouldn’t necessarily end his Aintree hopes.
Matt Brocklebank: Waiting for the Grand National weights to be published before bringing Monbeg Genius back into battle looks a shrewd move by connections and they'll be hoping he goes to Aintree ahead of the handicapper, like Corach Rambler was last season. Cloth Cap won this race at Kelso for the same stable en route to Aintree and while it didn't work out for him, he was also very well treated based on his revised mark after scoring in Scotland. His Newbury form with Datsalrightgino and Mahler Mission looks really strong and I don't want to be taking Monbeg Genius on, put it that way.
What else appeals on the valuable card north of the border?
Tony McFadden: Sandy Thomson has his string in superb order - in the last two weeks six of his 16 runners have won - and Cedar Hill looks like an interesting contender for the stable in the concluding 17-furlong handicap chase (17:10). Cedar Hill excels around Kelso and registered his fifth course-and-distance success in September, while he also ran well here on his next start when runner-up to Tommy's Oscar. He's not been at that sort of level in three subsequent starts at Musselburgh but he's been given a chance by the handicapper and the return to this venue - at a time when the stable is flying - could bring about a return to winning ways.
John Ingles: Stuart Crawford has a very good record with the runners he sends over from Northern Ireland to Scotland and the north of England, so Brucio looks interesting in the Premier Novices’ Hurdle (2.17). The combination of her mares’ allowance and Jango Baie’s Grade 1 penalty means she’s getting 9 lb from Nicky Henderson’s runner and, having won a competitive race at the Dublin Racing Festival last time, she’s very much on the up, whereas Jango Baie was beaten at short odds last time for a stable not exactly firing on all cylinders at present.
Matt Brocklebank: Jango Baie should be hard to beat in the Grade 2 bet365 Premier Novices' Hurdle but the Henderson form is a massive concern at the moment so he could be vulnerable. I'll keep my powder dry with the Morebattle until Friday's Value Bet column but can see Chasing Fire going well in the novices' handicap chase (4.00) as he'll find this a little easier than when getting his confidence back with a clear round in the Grade 2 Towton at Wetherby last time.
Plenty of good handicaps to tackle at Newbury – give us one horse of interest...
Tony McFadden: Makin'yourmindup stayed on strongly to win at Newbury three weeks ago and can follow up over course and distance in the three-mile handicap chase (16:05). He's gone up only 3 lb in the weights for that gritty length-and-a-quarter success and that could underestimate him given the front pair pulled 27 lengths clear of the third. The fact he won the Grade 2 Prestige Novices' Hurdle at Haydock last season suggests that he's the class act in this line-up, and there should be more to come.
John Ingles: The veterans’ chase (1.20) looks an open race and it might be worth taking a chance on Commodore on his first run for almost a year. He’s gone well fresh in the past and, in a race where there are question marks about a lot of his rivals, he starts his campaign from a stone lower mark than he began last term. Commodore’s trainer Venetia Williams had been quiet of late but it’s a positive sign that she’s been back among the winners in recent days.
Matt Brocklebank: I mentioned Bill Baxter as one to note at the start of the week and he's thankfully been declared for the BetVictor Greatwood Gold Cup Handicap Chase. Warren Greatrex has had some good days at Newbury over the years and hopefully this grey can add to the collection of winners at his local track. The more rain the better for him down in West Berkshire and he's down to a good mark again - just 2lb higher than when beating Fantastic Lady and 27 others in a soft-ground Topham at Aintree last spring.
Is there anything taking your eye at Doncaster’s Grimthorpe Chase fixture?
Tony McFadden: Tommy's Oscar won the Grade 2 Lightning Novices' Chase last season and looks to hold strong claims on his return to the same course and distance, but this time in handicap company, at Doncaster on Saturday. Tommy's Oscar seemed to find the two-and-a-half mile trip stretching him when fourth in the Old Roan Chase at Aintree and it was a similar story at Musselburgh last time when his effort flattened out. The return to two miles is in his favour and he can make his class tell off a mark only 2 lb higher than the one he defied so impressively on his seasonal reappearance at Kelso.
John Ingles: There look to be plenty of exposed types in the Grimthorpe (3.40) itself but an exception is Richard Hobson’s six-year-old Some Scope near the foot of the handicap. He’s very much on the up after winning his last two starts, including a course victory at the end of the January, and another rise in the weights might not be enough to stop him completing the hat-trick.
Matt Brocklebank: Monbeg Genius isn't the only one having a Grand National prep run this weekend, although I suspect Mac Tottie's outing in Doncaster's 3m handicap hurdle at 2.05 will not garner quite so much attention. He's just outside the top 34 in the Aintree weights but should get a run if connections are willing to roll the dice in the big one, rather than try and win another Topham (landed that in 2022) and it was good to see him back with a win over the regulation fences at Aintree on Boxing Day. This outing should bring him on nicely so he's one to watch with interest as he'd had a long layoff before his comeback win in December.
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