We’re less than three weeks away from the 2015 Crabbies Grand National and Jonjo O’Neill’s Shutthefrontdoor heads the market as the 9/1 favourite with BetVictor to give AP McCoy a second career success in the world’s greatest steeplechase. The 19-time Champion Jockey heads to Towcester this afternoon and teams up with fellow Northern Irishman Neil Mulholland with Fingerontheswitch (5.00) in the bumper. The pair have enjoyed a 39% strike-rate in the past 12 months and this point-to-point winner looks the ideal type to make a winning debut under rules.
McCoy rides A Shade of Bay for trainer Kim Bailey in the feature Mares’ Handicap Hurdle however she is overlooked for Alan King’s Dardanella (3.00) under stable jockey Wayne Hutchinson. The mare is still in her maiden season at Barbury Castle after previously being with Richard Lee and put her best foot forward last time out at Ludlow when chasing home Dan Skelton’s well-backed Rascal over two and a half miles. The form of that race has already worked out well and Dardanella is entitled to make amends stepping back up in trip to three miles.
Dexter Benjamin (4.00) is a fascinating runner in the Handicap Hurdle over the minimum trip, and bred to be far better than his opening mark of 100 suggests. Nick Gifford’s exciting son of Milan is entitled to be a three-mile chaser in time however looks to have been given a lenient opening mark and should be competitive sporting a first-time tongue-tie and Tom Cannon now in the plate.
There’s excellent NH action at Taunton where Makadama (3.20) represents a confident selection for the Waley-Cohens in the Novices’ Handicap Chase over three miles. The selection was an impressive winner of a similar contest last month at February, thriving on the better ground and jumping boldly throughout. A 7lb rise for her five lengths victory seems very fair and this free-going mare is entitled to progress further in first-time headgear.
The Evan Williams stable have hit the crossbar several times over the weekend with the likes of Vinnie Red and Wild Bill unfortunate to bump into useful types of the Donald McCain yard however his King Massini (4.50) can continue the yard’s excellent time of things in the feature handicap chase. The selection has tumbled down the weights to a mark of 118, which is 2lb lower than when bolting-up at Ludlow by 7 lengths last March and appears a winner in waiting for connexions. The selection gets on well with regular partner Adam Wedge and is fancied to give weight and a beating to his four rivals with the aid of first-time cheek-pieces seeing him hopefully return to the winners’ enclosure.
The first time blinkers seemed to do the trick on John Bradley’s Indian Affair (2.40) and the talented and quirky 5-y-o is taken to go one better than last week’s second at Kempton in Division 2 of the 7f Handicap at Wolverhampton. The selection is a model of consistently having finishing in the frame on four of his last six starts and beaten a neck from a 3lb higher mark over course and distance in January. Talented apprentice Eoin Walsh takes off a useful 5lb and that should see him return to winning ways and claim a 1st course success at the 17th attempt at Dunstall Park.
Ed McMahon’s horses have started the New Year in good form and his Gold Club (3.10) can follow-up his lto Kempton success in the feature 7f Handicap under Graham Gibbons. The selection was well-=backed before justifying market support over 6f last time out, staying on strongly in the closing stages and can go in again from just a 2lb higher mark.
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