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Alex Hammond previews Newbury action and Scottish National meeting at Ayr

Image: My Tent Or Yours: Alex's selection for the Scottish Champion Hurdle

This weekend we have the best of both worlds with an excellent flat card at Newbury with classic pointers and there is also the Scottish National meeting at Ayr.

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Another of them is a real blue blood being a half-sister to Frankel. She wore a hood on a couple of occasions last season and was very keen on her final start so Lady Cecil has fitted it again for this race. Coral Mist will have to have improved over the winter if she's to be a superstar this year, but she's a handy filly for Charlie Hills who won the Firth of Clyde Stakes at Ayr on her last outing in September. One thing she does have in her favour is her attitude: she gives her all and looks very honest. J Wonder looked like she could be very smart after winning her Nursery last term, but she was exposed by Lucky Kristale in the Lowther and needs to have progressed from two to three. She will also enjoy some slight ease in the ground though. I'm going with a big race double for Marco Botti and Al Thakhira gets the nod.

Scottish National

There is some excellent jumping in Scotland at Ayr for the Scottish National which is the highlight on a valuable card. The weights for this 4m 1/2 f Grade 3 Handicap Chase are headed by the Paul Nicholls trained-Tidal Bay which means the weights are compressed below him and only ten of the other runners are in the handicap and running off their true marks. Tidal Bay unseated at the eighth (Canal Turn) in last weekend's Grand National at Aintree. Nicholls reported on Thursday that he had come out of that fine and schooled well so he was running him again. Why not? He is a class act who once again should be suited by this sort of test. He is always hard to leave out of calculations even with top weight in a race of this nature. One of the runners that will be in the handicap is another Nicholls runner, Sam Winner, who races off a handy 10 stone 7; Nick Scholfield rides. He is an exciting novice who was last seen finishing fifth in the RSA Chase. He had always been earmarked for the 4m NH Chase at the festival and he looked to be crying out for this sort of trip in the RSA. He enjoys this ground and is another leading contender for Nicholls who will regain his trainers' championship this season. Harry Fry has spoken positively about his runner, Mendip Express, who is also in the handicap proper. He's another novice who finished behind Sam Winner at Newbury last time out when well beaten on heavy ground. It transpired that he had broken a blood vessel though which explains the poor run. He hasn't run since then and will have been freshened up for the break. Green Flag will have plenty of local support for Lucinda Russell. He advertised his claims for this race at Cheltenham where he finished a good fourth in the 3m handicap chase on the opening day of the festival. He handles decent ground, but appears to be better suited to ground with some cut in it. Last year's winner Godsmejudge is in the field once again for Alan King and is only 6lbs higher in the weights this time round. He has run disappointingly on his last two starts and will have to defy the stats too as he bids to become the first back to back winner since 1985. He has something to prove in his current form although he has conditions in his favour. Philip Hobbs runs a horse that could run well from 5lbs out of the handicap. Roalco de Farges was second to Tidal Bay in the Bet365 two years ago, but has had problems since then. He had his first run back since the Sandown race this February and has been chipping away quietly. He pulled up on his first run since his lay-off, he then ran a good race to be third at Ludlow when still possibly needing the run and the won nicely last time out at Newbury and is an interesting runner despite being 5lbs 'wrong'. Tim Easterby's Trustan Times is 6lbs wrong at the weights, but can't be written off as he's still well handicapped compared to his hurdles mark. He ran an excellent trial at Cheltenham in the Pertemps Hurdle beaten a nose and two necks by Fingal Bay, Southfield Theatre and subsequent National winner Pineau de Re. Yes Tom just sneaks into the handicap for County Antrim based trainer Stuart Crawford. You may remember this horse winning on his debut for his new handler in the Daily Mirror Chase at Down Royal the week after Cheltenham. Bog Warrior was favourite and Seabass finished a disappointing last after sustaining an injury in the race. This grey had lost his way for his previous handler, but scooted up here and despite Crawford saying he had no plans for the horse he has found him the sort of race he could run well in. He is also entered in the Irish National later this month. He has a good record at this track too with two wins and six places from nine outings here for his former trainer. So, it's a red hot contest and you could make a serious case for several of these and I like Roalco de Farges, Trustan Times and Yes Tom. I'm going to go with Yes Tom though. would be attempting to become the first back-to-back winner of the race since Androma in 1984 and 1985.

Scottish Champion Hurdle

The Scottish Champion Hurdle is a Grade 2 Limited Handicap and the clear horse at the top of the weights is Champion Hurdle runner-up My Tent or Yours and deservedly so. He brings a touch of stardust to the contest and if this horse learns to settle better in his races he will be a real force to be reckoned with. When you consider this season he has won the Fighting Fifth, just pipped The New One in the Christmas Hurdle, won a 'Jumpers Bumper' and then ran a cracker to be second to Jezki at Cheltenham and all the while running too freely, he should be unstoppable if AP McCoy can get him to settle. Interestingly, Nicky Henderson is fitting a hood on Saturday. This type of headgear seems to really help highly strung horses and we've seen it used to great effect on both the flat and over jumps. It's something trainers are really catching on to and the benefits are there to see in the form book with it having a calming effect on runners. The fact that it covers a horse's ears really helps to pacify them, possibly because it blocks out some of the ambient noise. Whatever it is, it works and that should mean My Tent or Yours is hard to beat if he has recovered sufficiently from his Cheltenham exertions. After Cheltenham Henderson suggested this horse could run at Royal Ascot, he has real class and should be good enough to win this. There is also some interesting racing in Ireland over the weekend with possible classic clues. Geoffrey Chaucer is entered in the Ballysax Stakes at Navan on Saturday. We got a glimpse of this horse in a racecourse gallop at the Curragh a couple of weeks ago and Aidan O'Brien seemed happy with his unbeaten colt. There is also a good card at the Curragh on Sunday.
I'm running!
Well, I will Sky+ the racing this weekend because on Saturday I'll be in London registering for the London Marathon. I'm seriously questioning my sanity with the event just a few days away, but I'm also looking forward to being part of what is an iconic event. The racing world will be well represented with trainers Richard Hannon, Charlie Hills, Andrew Balding, Robert Cowell, Olly Stevens, David Simcock and bloodstock agent/racing manager David Redvers taking part. I hope we all do our charities proud and having trained with an injury for the last few months I just hope to get round before nightfall! Let's just hope my weekend selections run faster than I do. See you next week when hopefully I'll be enjoying a well-earned rest. My fundraising page for my chosen charity Maggie's is: www.justgiving.com/alexandbeckyrunlondon

Selections

Lat Hawill in the Greenham Stakes Al Thakhira in the Dubai Duty Free Yes Tom in the Scottish National @ 12/1 with Sky Bet My Tent Or Yours in the Scottish Champion Hurdle @ 4/5 with Sky Bet

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