Another cracking weekend of action awaits at Musselburgh as this this weekend racing features the £100,000 Scottish Champion Handicap Chase and the Listed £40,000 Scottish Triumph Hurdle Trial. It’s a great opportunity for owners and trainers to bank some prize money before the big spring festivals.

 

Huge Weekend Racing: Musselburgh and Sandown Preview

 

Sunday features the £75,000 Edinburgh National, and both meetings will attract contenders for the Cheltenham Festival. Here we look at some of the major races on the Saturday card at Musselburgh, how they might influence the rest of the upcoming Cheltenham Festival in March and how you might go about finding some winners.

 

Weekend Racing: Scottish Triumph Hurdle 

 

We are going to focus on just two races on the card and first up is the opening Listed Scottish Triumph Hurdle over just shy of two miles. Paul Nicholls farms this race, winning it five times since 2013, and last year Liari triumphed with authority on what turned out to be a cracking day for the yard, as they won four of the seven races.

 

This year’s contender is Nardaran, who is making just his second start for Nicholls. Third on his sole start in France over 1m4f on the Flat in June, the son of Waldgeist was subsequently purchased for €135,000 by Tom Malone and Nicholls on behalf of the Martin Broughton & Friends 2 syndicate.

 

On stable debut at Kempton at Christmas, Nardaran was sent off a 5/1 chance for a 2m juvenile hurdle. He travelled notably well and traded very short in running on the exchanges, only to hit a wall in the closing stages and eventually finish fourth of the seven runners. It was quite clear that he was in need of the run.

 

Now, with the cobwebs blown away, there’s no doubt Nicholls will have him spot on for this assignment and, although current second favourite Static holds a decent level of form, it will turn out to be a weak enough renewal if Nardaran isn’t up to beating him. He’s currently a 40/1 chance for the Boodles Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham in March.

 

Weekend Racing: Scottish Champion Chase

 

Rated 150, Martator is the class act in a competitive renewal of the Scottish Champion Chase over 2m4f and even if he’s not up to winning this contest, he is worth keeping an eye on with Cheltenham in mind where he’s currently 40/1 for the Grand Annual. Venetia Williams’ runners are mostly known to be horses who thrive in the mud, but this eight-year-old handles any ground and he has progressed at a rate of knots in the last 12 months.

 

A winner of a 2m4f handicap chase at Newbury last March off 118, he landed the five-timer when bolting up by 11 lengths at Ascot in November off 140, before finishing third in the Desert Orchid and disappointing when last seen at Ascot. Martator has had plenty of racing, so there’s a chance Williams is easing off on him in order to peak him for the spring campaign, meaning he’s well worth following. He holds multiple Grade 1 entries, but should be dangerous in handicap company.

 

By Adrian Mills

 

Please note that the information provided in this Weekend Racing article is for entertainment purposes only. We do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information provided. Any action you take upon the information on this article is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any losses and damages in connection with the use of our article. We do not encourage gambling and remind you to gamble responsibly.

 

18+ | BeGambleAware.org

 

Supercharge your bets with kwiff