ITV Racing Tips: Mysteree to solve the Scottish Grand National riddle?
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The Scottish Grand National is the highlight of a nine-race card on ITV this Saturday, which also features flat racing from Newbury
Vicente is bidding for a hat-trick in the main Scottish prize. Can anyone upset Paul Nicholls’ charge? We think so.
There’s plenty of other top-quality action too, with the Scottish Champion Hurdle and the Greatwood Greenham Stakes both set to prove intriguing affairs.
We’ve previewed all of Saturday’s action in our ITV Racing Tips…
An impressive 2017 ended in disappointing fashion for Defoe following an 11th place finish in the St Leger Stakes at Doncaster.
Against a field of real top-quality horses, Roger Varian’s charge never really got amongst it.
He’s back in Group 3 company on his reappearance and we’re expecting him to return to something like his old self.
He’s won on both previous runs at Newbury, including in a similar standard contest over 1m5f last August.
The four-year-old should get his 2018 off to a winning start here.
After going close in the County Hurdle at Cheltenham, Chesterfield returns to action bidding for a second successive victory in this renewal.
He’s 2lb lower than when winning this last year and the ground is in his favour too.
Jockey Daniel Samson claims 5lb to further help his cause as the selection bids for a fourth win from five on the ground and a seventh win from 15 over the distance.
The eight-year-old looks well-placed to take the spoils once again.
Vicente is the hot favourite to land a hat-trick of Scottish Grand National. But we’ve decided to go for the each-way angle with Mysteree.
Why? Well, the veteran clearly didn’t enjoy the testing ground on his two most recent runs.
Prior to that he’d racked up two wins from four, and managed to nab a runner-up spot in the 2017 Midlands Grand National.
He’ll be helped in the weights around Ayr. And with 4m+ experience on his side, he has as good a chance as any at clinching a place at a handy price in Scotland.
ITV Racing Tips:
1:45 Ayr – Set In Stone
2:00 Newbury – Defoe (NAP)
2:20 Ayr – Rons Dream
2:35 Newbury – Gavota
2:55 Ayr – Chesterfield (NAP)
3:10 Newbury – Fighting Irish (each-way)
3:30 Ayr – Mia’s Storm
3:45 Newbury – Humbert
4:05 Ayr – Mysteree (Lively Longshot, each-way)
All Odds and Markets correct as of date and publication
