Ayr Sunday Preview - 18/04/21

The first race of the day at Ayr is the Scotty Brand Listed Handicap Chase and we are giving Grand Sancy one last chance in this event.

The seven year old has been hit and miss over fences this term, but over the last few years has shown serious ability over both hurdles and fences.

Over hurdles his best performance came on his final start over timber in November 2019 when winning the Grade Two Kingwell Hurdle at Wincanton.

Since going over fences, he had ran behind some nice horses in good races and finally got off the mark at the back end of last season at Fontwell.

He backed that up on his seasonal debut this term when winning a three runner Listed event at Chepstow by 13 lengths, with Paint The Dream going on to frank the form.

However, since then he has slightly lost his way running in Grade Two and Three events and fading in the latter stages over 2m4f.

On Sunday he drops back in trip to just over two miles and it should hopefully spark a resurgence in form and at 9/2 agains the soft favourite we are willing to find out if it does.

Next up is the Novices' Champion Handicap Chase over three miles and we look to have another Emmet Mullins handicap blot that could take all the beating.

Pilbara is a handy six year old that could be thrown in if finding his three mile form from the start of the campaign having slightly underperformed of late.

In July the gelding made his seasonal debut at Tipperary over hurdles in a three mile event and ran out a ready winner.

He then backed that up over the same trip at Cork and was another impressive winner, exploiting his handicap mark like most of Mullins' horses do.

The gelding then ran at Galway twice over hurdles and finished second and fifth at the back end of July and was then not seen until September where he was stepped over fences.

He finished a good second over 2m6f and then last time out back at Galway over a shorter trip he was poor, looking like the three miles is what he needed.

He gets that again today and after those two runs over fences he has a lowly mark that looks workable in this field.

Could be another Irish gamble.

The Grade Two Scottish Champion Hurdle sees a decent field of 10 runners head to post on Sunday and the Dan Skelton trained Calico could be tough to beat if staying on his upward curve.

The five year old gelding for the Skelton's is very much a progressive type for a thriving yard and although stepping up in class for this test can not be overlooked.

This season the youngster made his debut at Ludlow in a Novices' Hurdle and won eased down, but then was dethroned at Kempton in the Grade Two Dovecote Novices' Hurdle when Cape Gentleman just managed to get the better of him.

With that strong form in the book he went to Warwick back into a Novices' Hurdle taking on a double penalty and still managing to win.

That prep run would have set him up perfectly for this event and if progressing once more is a value angle.

The Grade Two Future Champion Novices' Chase over 2m4f only sees four runners head to post but it is full of talent and we are siding with the Paul Nicholls trained Tamaroc Du Mathan.

The six year old was a fair hurdler last term, but is now a classy horse over fences winning two of his three outings and only being beaten by the superstar dual Grade One winner Shishkin.

He made his seasonal debut at Wincanton in a Limited Handicap Chase and his jumping was superb taking lengths out of the field at every occasion to win easily.

He then bumped into Shishkin in the Grade Two Wayward Lad Novices' Chase at Kempton where he finished a good second behind the star.

Bumped up in trip to 2m4f last time out at Kempton, the gelding flourished in the Grade Two Pendil Novices' Chase to take the event, where again his jumping was superb.

He has skipped both Cheltenham and Aintree for this and could be the value against the favourite.

The feature race of the day at Ayr on Sunday is the four mile Scottish Grand National and Our selection is the Paul Nicholls trained Soldier Love, who has not been seen since November and has potentially been saved for a crack at this event.

The Ditcheat handler is always worth taking note of in this race having landed two of the last four renewals and with Sean Bowen already booked to ride this eight year old, we don't believe the 14/1 will be around on Sunday.

The son of Yeats was used through the summer last year making his seasonal debut at Bangor in July and getting off the mark in fine style.

Off the back of that run he went on to win three more races making it four in a row, with chase victories at Newton Abbot all on good ground over staying trips.

He was then taken to Cheltenham in October and finished a good runner up behind National Hunt Chase winner at the festival Galvin.

However, Soldier Of Love was last seen being pulled up at Prestbury Park in November behind The Big Breakaway who was a good winner of the event.

Having not been seen since then it looks as though Nicholls has kept his mark down for this race and with good ground being key to this horse he could have a huge chance.

The step up in trip to the National distance could bring big improvement with him already proving he is a good stayer at 3m2f and at 14/1 he looks a solid each way player if raring to go.

The final selection of the day from Ayr comes in the Class 2 Handicap Hurdle over 2m5f and Enemy Coast Ahead for Olly Murphy could be weighted to strike the four timer.

The seven year old has only been seen five times during his career making a good impression when winning his bumper at Stratford on debut in 2019 and backed that up in his only other bumper run at Newbury when a close second.

Sent over hurdles in July at Southwell he was a narrow winner, with the pair being well clear of the third, with good ground being what he needs.

Back over the same course and distance and ground he landed another event this time by 11 lengths and then last time out in his hat-trick bid at Uttoxeter he took the event over 2m4f.

Getting good ground is a big positive, being weighted well and showing that he can stay over a trip last time out are all huge positives in this horses favour.