Musselburgh New Year's Day Preview and Tips

THE BEST BET

THE KALOOKI KID (14.15)

Punters will surely be drawn to Jet To Vegas after the form of his Ascot second to Thomas Mor was enhanced when that rival finished runner-up in the Grade 1 Kauto Star at Kempton on Boxing Day. As a result, the Jimmy Fyffe-owned novice - who won a Kelso Grade 2 over hurdles last season before faring best of the British runners when fourth in the Grade 1 Top Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree - makes understandable appeal off a mark of 137 for his handicap debut in the feature £50,000 Auld Reekie Chase.

However, I’d want to see him jump much slicker through the first half of this race than he did in Berkshire or else he runs this risk of getting shuffled too far back on a sharp circuit like Musselburgh, which strongly favours those able to adopt and hold a prominent pitch.

Preference, therefore, is for the smooth-travelling THE KALOOKI KID, who justified strong support to win the glamorously-titled Scottish Champion Chase over course and distance at Muselburgh’s Cheltenham Trials weekend last February. The only one able to lay up with Saint Segal as that now more tractable - and subsequently much improved - pace-pusher strung them out a long way from home, The Kalooki Kid could be called the winner as soon as he eased to the front three out.

Nicky Richards’ grey bit off more than he could chew behind Impaire Et Passe and Jango Baie in a Grade 1 at Aintree next time, but he shaped with plenty of promise in Carlisle’s Colin Parker on his seasonal return to think he can handle an 8lb rise now reverting to handicaps.

Although The Kalooki Kid finished last of four to Handstands in Cumbria, he performed creditably given he was worst in at the weights, while also giving the distinct impression he would improve for getting that run under his belt following seven months off. The boffins at Timeform agreed, handing him a revised rating 9lb superior to anything he had previously posted over fences. It’s one that sees him come out marginally top-rated on their figures.

The Inside Track

“The handicapper put him four or five pounds for Carlisle, which I thought was a bit naughty, so I’ve been waiting for him to get reassessed. They’ve brought him back down a couple of pounds now and we’re ready to go again as he’s in grand order. He likes the track and he’ll love the ground up there too. He should run a big one.” - Nicky Richards, trainer

THE NEXT BEST

WISE EAGLE (13.40)

We’ve not seen WISE EAGLE over hurdles since he finished second at Kelso in February off a 4lb lower mark. In fact, we haven’t seen much of Adam Nicol’s stable flag-bearer in the last 10-and-a-half months. He managed just three runs back on the Flat after that during 2025 - here in April when fourth in the Queen’s Cup, at York’s Sky Bet Ebor Festival in August when he was tailed off and then at Southwell three weeks ago.

Despite finishing seventh of nine runners under the lights in Nottinghamshire, the Seahouses superstar shaped with more of his old zest on his first start back after wind surgery. Enough to think this Musselburgh specialist is worthy of interest reverting to hurdles at a course where his combined form figures are 1211114? I reckon so.

He didn’t jump anything like as well as he can when run out of things late on by Bashful (runs 3.25) at Kelso in February, but that was on soft ground which he’s never won on.

A dry forecast for the East Lothian area is very in his favour then, as will going up in trip to 2m4f. On his only previous go over anything similar - 2m3f at Catterick last December - he dished out a 14-length drubbing off level weights to Serious Chat, who he meets here on only 7lb worse terms (even with Charlie Maggs’ 5lb claim on that rival factored in).

Ryan Mania knows what’s required to plunder this £30,000 prize, having done so in 2023 and 2024 aboard Benson, while the success of Bold Light 12 months ago extended the winning sequence of eight- and nine-year-olds in this race to four.

With the Nicol yard going well (four winners and two seconds from the last eight jumps runners), the now nine-year-old Wise Eagle might just have enough class to fend off the progressive, three-year-younger Moonbow to make it five in a row.

The Inside Track

“I’ve not ridden Wise Eagle on the track yet but I’ve been doing a fair bit of work and schooling on him at Adam’s. He’s in good order. He had a prep run for this on the Flat the other week, which he’d have needed to blow away the cobwebs” - Ryan Mania, jockey

THE TREBLE BET

AFADIL (3.25)

Paul Nicholls has wisely opted for this race over the longer Hogmaneigh Hurdle (in which he runs Fasol instead) for AFADIL, whose record in three runs over Musselburgh’s 2m is an impressive 112. Winner of the Scottish Triumph Hurdle in 2023 and the Scottish County Hurdle 12 months later, the seven-year-old found only the reliable Welsh Charger too strong when narrowly failing to defend his crown in that latter contest last season.

The form of Afadil’s subsequent half-length third to Go Dante in Sandown’s Imperial Cup reads well in the context of this lesser 0-125, while his recent third to that same Olly Murphy-trained rival back in Esher suggested he was coming to the boil ready for this return to his happiest hunting ground following summer wind surgery.

It’s worth noting that Afadil had to be ridden along briefly to jump off last time, though in his defence he showed no flashes of moodiness in the race. He went through much of it with his customary fluency, only to get a bit leggy on the soft ground after the last. Assuming that momentary reluctance at the start was a one-off, and with conditions in his favour on Scotland’s east coast, he’s worth backing to take advantage of an appealing mark, with Olive Nichols removing a further 5lb to boot.

This prize seems likely to be heading back south with Cueros, for last year’s winning yard of Harry Derham, and Mr McLoughlan also holding sound claims.

The Inside Track

“He loves Musselburgh, in the last few years he's won there and run very well on a few other occasions and he was very unlucky at Sandown the last day in a very competitive race, he missed the break and was too far out of his ground, so he ran very well considering. I'd like to think on a track that he likes he'll go very well under Olive's claim, he's got a good chance as do a few of mine at Musselburgh.” - Paul Nicholls, trainer & Betfair Ambassador

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