Scottish Sun columnist and Racing TV analyst Ed Watson pinpointed winners Dearkeithandkaty (100/30), Magna Victor (100/30) and Kelce (15/8) from six picks at Musselburgh’s Scottish Cheltenham Trials weekend. He returns with three fancies on the £355,000 bet365 Morebattle Hurdle card at Kelso that is headlined by the richest hurdle race of the year north of the border.
The Big Race Bet
DEDICATED HERO (14.55)
A place in history awaits Cracking Rhapsody if he can notch a third consecutive Morebattle victory. Hat-trick scorers in major handicap hurdles are rare, but the return to a track which clearly brings out the best in him means ‘away’ form figures this season of 066 are perhaps best taken with a pinch of salt.
Certainly, there was more encouragement to be gleaned from his latest Haydock effort, where he was beaten a smidge over six lengths on his first start following wind surgery. Positive noises have been filling the air around Ewan Whillans’ yard in nearby Hawick following a racecourse gallop after Kelso’s last fixture. And for all that the seven-year-old remains 4lb higher than for last year’s gritty success over Alnilam, he has dipped below the mark he defied when posting a career-best Timeform figure in last season’s Scottish Champion Hurdle at Ayr.
Whether that’s enough to repel a handful of pretenders to his throne who appear to have a few pounds of improvement up their sleeves remains to be seen. One thing is for sure, he won’t give it his crown without a battle royal.
James Owen’s Hamlet’s Night has been the money horse all week. Runner-up finishes to Give It To Me Oj at Cheltenham in October and Rubaud in Wincanton’s Elite Hurdle a fortnight later point to a novice who could be nicely treated off 134 for his handicap bow. He warmed up for this with a taking Kempton all-weather win 10 days ago and has Sean Bowen booked.
Captain Hugo is another handicap first timer worthy of consideration, assuming a fall at Musselburgh on his most recent start hasn’t left any kind of mental scarring, while Quaviste’s handicap debut effort at Kempton behind Williethebuilder was eye-catching to say the least.
DEDICATED HERO is another runner I’m convinced we’re still to see the best of. And it’s in this scenario of a properly-run handicap, where the revs are applied from the off, where it could all finally come together.
Winner of last season’s Grade 2 Sky Bet Supreme Trial at Haydock (albeit a slightly substandard one), the seven-year-old made a low-key start to life in handicaps during an autumn when Sandy Thomson’s horses had a general sluggishness about them.
A switch to fences at Ayr six weeks ago seemed to reignite a spark, however, as Dedicated Hero ran well to split two higher-rated rivals he was badly in with at the weights. The conditions of that race meant the handicapper couldn’t take a swipe at his mark when he’d surely have loved to, having dropped him 7lb for those three hurdles runs.
Thomson’s charge was well backed to take advantage at Musselburgh a month ago, but he got no further than the landing side of the first fence before ejecting Callum Bewley out of the side door through absolutely no fault of either party.
Dedicated Hero now reverts to hurdles at a track he’s unbeaten in three starts at (two bumpers and a novice hurdle) off a mark I believe he is better than. Cheekpieces go on for the first time and a lively pace thanks to the likes of Hot Fuss, Laafi and Serious Operator could well tee things up for Dedicated Hero to arrive late on the scene under Danny McMenamin in the way Benson did for Thomson in this race three years ago.
For all that it would be unusual for a maiden to break its duck in a race of this nature, Dan Skelton's Quaviste will be a danger to all if handling the hustle and bustle of a Morebattle.
The Inside Track
“I’ve no concerns about going back over hurdles with Dedicated Hero. He’s not jumped a lot of fences so far and we’ve been popping him over hurdles again at home since his last run. Hopefully they’ll go a good gallop and set it up for something that can quicken, and we know he does quicken. I’d just love a drop of rain.” - Sandy Thomson, trainer
The Best Bet
OLD GREGORIAN (17.10)
Lucinda Russell and Derek Fox landed the concluding novices’ handicap chase last year with a horse completing a four-timer over fences. The duo can go back-to-back with a different type in OLD GREGORIAN, whose return to action following a 136-day lay-off since a successful chase debut isn’t a concern given he’s won off a longer absence previously.
Old Gregorian went to Wetherby in October with one rival to beat. That match became a coronation when his sole opponent crashed out at the fourth-last, leaving the stage clear for the Russell and Michael Scudamore-trained seven-year-old to enjoy a lap of honour.
While it’s impossible to be dogmatic about how well he stayed that 2m4f - it was his first start beyond 2m1f - he certainly wasn’t running out of puff as Derek Fox kept him honest by asking him up for a big one at the last. His jumping was mostly sure-footed and given his size, stature and age, looks sure to improve further over fences, for all that we have to take his stamina for this extended 2m5f on trust.
There are no doubts about this venue, where his form figures over hurdles read 1123, or the form of his yard. That third place came when beaten only four lengths by Cracking Rhapsody in last season’s Morebattle off just 2lb lower, while the Russell-Scudamore operation has roared back to form with seven winners and 13 placed runners in the last fortnight alone.
The form of Push The Button’s Grade 2 second to Steel Ally at Ascot has been franked time and again. He was below par back in a handicap at Cheltenham last time, however, and may have his work cut out trying to concede 13lb to a potentially more progressive rival who is already Timeform top-rated.
The Inside Track
“We’ve deliberately kept Old Gregorian away from winter ground ready for a nice spring campaign. He’s been schooling well at home and done plenty of work. He’s at the right end of the handicap as we think he’s open to more improvement as a chaser than he was over hurdles.” - Michael Scudamore, joint trainer
The Each-Way Bet
GAELIC ROVER (14.15)
Grade 1 form is represented in the Grade 2 Premier Novices’ Hurdle by Montemares, who was fourth in the Challow, and The Last Cloud and Starmount, third and fourth respectively in the Formby.
The latter's subsequent Wetherby romp has been franked by the runner-up, who himself has won again since by beating a horse that then ran second in Kempton’s Dovecote. Stepping up to 2m2f here will suit Starmount, although slower ground and perhaps a more galloping track than Kelso’s sharp hurdles circuit would be preferable. I also suspect that he, like Montemares, will properly come into his own next season over fences and with another summer on his back.
The other form line I’m drawn to is from Fighting Fifth day at Newcastle in November. And, no, I don’t mean what we all now know was Constitution Hill’s final race over hurdles...
Earlier on that card, Le Beau Madrik had to be switched out from behind Gaelic Rover to get the better of that rival on the run to the line. The former then defied a penalty over a longer trip in the north-east without having to break sweat, and live entries in the Supreme and Turners tell you how highly regarded he is by Team Skelton.
But if he’s trading at 7/2 or less, the value surely has to lie with GAELIC ROVER at more than three times the price. This son of Walk In The Park readily opened his account over timber by swatting away an 83-rated Flat opponent over the same course and distance six weeks ago. He also meets Le Beau Madrik on 3lb better terms for a length.
Ruth Jefferson isn’t one to throw her horses into the deep end unless she thinks they can swim and, intriguingly, Gaelic Rover will be her first runner in this race since Clondaw Caitlan carried the same colours to victory in 2020. Gaelic Rover has to improve again given the handicapper has allotted him a mark of just 118, but I strongly suspect he will.
The Inside Track
“I’d love to have run him again after his Newcastle win, just to be certain that I think he’s up to a race like this, but there just haven’t been any races for him. He was running about in front and greener on his second start when second to Le Beau Madrik at Newcastle than he was on his debut at Ayr behind Upon Tweed. Usually I like to win a couple of races before we step our horses up in grade but his form makes me think it’s worth a shot. Whether that’s me being stupid or not, we’ll find out." - Ruth Jefferson, trainer
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