Ayr Saturday

Coral Scottish Grand National

WILLIE Mullins looks to have a firm grip on the British Jumps Trainers’ Championship after winning the Scottish National for the second successive year, with Captain Cody (Harry Cobden) beating stablemate Klarc Kent (Jonathan Burke) by a length.

The pair had the race to themselves from the penultimate fence, with Cobden riding the tricky Captain Cody with kid gloves and produced to lead only in the final 50 yards with the rider keen to keep his mount on the bridle for as long as possible.

At the line, the margin was a length with Our Power (Dylan Johnson) filling third spot in a race marred by fatal injuries to The Kniphand and last year’s winner MacDermott.

“I just wanted to get Captain Cody settled early and creep into the race,” said the winning rider of his tactics.

“I followed him at Cheltenham last time and he was too free, so the plan was to get his head dropped early. As soon as he did that he got into a lovely rhythm.

“I wanted to go wide because I wanted to let him see his fences. It couldn’t have gone better all the way round. I didn’t want to get there too soon - even at the last I thought let’s just get him over it, and away he went.”

Rest of the card

Willie Mullins doubled up on the card when Dysart Dolomite (Patrick Mullins) landed the concluding bumper despite proving easy to back due to clear signs of inexperience in the preliminaries.

The 13/8 favourite also looked to be learning in the race before coming through strongly to beat the Andy Slattery-trained Spreadsheet Guru (Danny McMenamin) by three and a half lengths.

Earlier on the card, there was another Irish winner courtesy of Gavin Cromwell’s The Other Mozzie (Sean Flanagan), who won the opening two-mile handicap chase at 6/1 in the colours of leading Scottish owner Jimmy Fyffe.

TRAINED by Sir Michael Stoute as a juvenile, Jonquil (Oisin Murphy) was another on Newbury’s card to make a winning start having switched to Andrew Balding, and he looked a genuine classic contender as he won the Group 3 Watership Down Stud Too Darn Hot Greenham Stakes by a length and a half and two lengths from Rashabar (Brian Meehan/Sean Levey) and Saracen (Joseph O’Brien/Christophe Soumillon). The winner was returned at an SP of 8/1.

Winner of a Sandown maiden on debut, Jonquil was favourite for the Listed Flying Scotsman on his latter juvenile start but seemed too green to do himself justice on the day.

He’s clearly matured over the winter and looked trained to the minute, unlike the runner-up who looked in need of the run. Whether Jonquil goes for the Guineas at Newmarket or heads to France for the Poulains depends on how other Juddmonte candidates fare in the coming weeks, but Andrew Balding feels that he is well worth a try at a mile in Group 1 company.

“Jonquil was a smart horse last year,” said Balding.

“And although it didn’t go to plan second time out, we’ve had plenty of time with him. His work’s been great, and I’m thrilled to win it.”

While Balding was non-committal about the Guineas, winning rider Oisin Murphy was in no doubt that his mount was capable of going well at Newmarket, saying: “I’d imagine he’d go for the Guineas if he’s healthy.

“You saw a really good horse and Rashabar is a fair benchmark. He cruised up to him, and it’s only his third start, so I’m very pleased. He’s the perfect specimen.”

DUTY First (Archie Watson/Hollie Doyle) caused a 33/1 upset when landing the Group 3 Dubai Duty Free (Fred Darling) Stakes and is set to be supplemented for the 1000 Guineas after blitzing her rivals from the front.

The daughter of Showcasing was placed twice in pattern races as a juvenile but produced a much improved effort to make all and score by three and a half lengths from Hey Boo (Jack Channon/George Bass) with Time For Sandals (Harry Eustace/Richard Kingscote) third.

The winner is not engaged in the 1000 Guineas, but Watson is keen to supplement her, and was very bullish in his post-race comments, saying: “She was placed in the Prestige and the Rockfel last year, but we always knew she would do very well physically as she was a big filly last year.

“It is a family we know well as we trained her half-brother Army Ethos, who was second in the Coventry Stakes. It is a family Sheikh Nasser knows well so I’m delighted.

Grown plenty

“She has definitely grown plenty and today the ground was a lot quicker. It was on the fast side of good when she won at Ayr, but that was just a maiden. Her group race form was on heavy ground, but I would say she will be very versatile, and she will definitely get the mile of the Guineas; I’ve not got her in the English 1000 Guineas, but I would imagine that is where she will run.

“It was a very strong Fred Darling [and] the way she has done it has probably surprised me, but she has been in great order this spring.

“She was still very raw when she ran at Newmarket in the Rockfel last year, but I don’t think the track would bother me. She has been around Goodwood as well. so I’d be happy going back to Newmarket.”

Newbury Saturday

THE Group 3 John Porter Stakes, run currently under the Dubai Duty Free sponsorship banner, saw outsiders coming to the fore, with the likeable mare Divina Grace (Andrew Balding/David Probert) scoring from another 14/1 shot in Tabletalk (Tom Clover/Rossa Ryan), with 6/4 favourite Sunway (David Menuisier/Oisin Murphy) third.

The margins were half a length and two lengths, with the trio clear of the others in a seven-runner affair.

Divina Grace looked very fit on her first start for Balding having raced in previous seasons for Rae Guest, and her fitness was certainly an edge on the day, for all that this looks a career-best effort on paper.

Best at this mile-and-a-half trip, Divina Grace won the Listed Chalice Stakes at Newmarket last summer and was making her breakthrough in pattern company here.

She will be harder to place under a penalty and as her rivals catch up with her fitness-wise but may still be progressing and has plenty of opportunities at around this trip.

Rest of the card

Balding was in fine form at his local track and went on to complete a four-timer on the card, adding both three-year-old maidens to his haul via Point Of Contact and Furthur and the Kingsclere handler is sure to be a big player in the Trainers’ Championship this term.

William Muir and Christy Grassick also had a day to remember, with Ebt’s Guard (Lewis Edmunds) picking up where he left off last season by springing a 25/1 surprise in the Spring Cup, run on the round course this year in a break from tradition. A winner twice at a mile last year when running with credit in the Cambridgeshire, Ebt’s Guard was gelded over the winter and overcame a wide draw and market weakness to score; he looks to have trained on very well, suggesting he’ll be a fixture in all the big mile handicaps this season granted luck and good health.