THIS is the first of these National Hunt weekends, the first of the seven weekends of deep, deep National Hunt immersion that take you up to Christmas.

The Ladbrokes Champion Chase at Down Royal today, and the BoyleSports Grand Sefton Chase at Aintree, and the Badger Beer Chase and the Unibet Elite Hurdle at Wincanton, followed by the Paddy Power Cork Grand National tomorrow at, well, Cork.

Of course, this weekend we have the added bonus of the last day of the turf flat season at Naas tomorrow and the November Handicap at Doncaster today, as well as the small matter of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Keeneland (last night and) tonight.

Two For Gold has to carry top-weight in the Grand Sefton Chase at Aintree, it is an arduous task, but it may not be beyond him.

This is a race in which high weights have done well, two of the last five winners and three of the last nine carried 11st 10lb or more.

This race and this course and these fences are more about jumping and travelling and rhythm than they are about weights carried.

Kim Bailey’s horse has run at Aintree twice, and his record there is an uninspiring UP.

On his first run there, in the Topham Trophy in 2021, over today’s course and distance, he unseated his rider at the Canal Turn.

He was well back in the field at the time, but he missed the break that day, he was back in the field from early, and he struggled to get into his racing rhythm.

Big fences

His second and most recent run there was in the Grand National in April, when he ran really well for a long way.

Handy form early that day – he actually touched down in front over the first fence – he settled into a lovely racing rhythm and his jumping over the big fences was very good.

He really seemed to be enjoying himself, jumping from fence to fence, until he went wide at the Canal Turn second time, and just tired from there. David Bass ultimately pulled him up before the second-last fence.

He should be happier back down in trip now, and back on softer ground. This extended intermediate trip on soft ground probably represents close to optimum conditions for him.

He was only just beaten by Fakir D’Oudairies in the Ascot Chase last February, and he battled on well to beat Dashel Drasher and Bristol De Mai at Lingfield at the end of January. Those two races were run over around two miles and five furlongs and on soft and heavy ground respectively.

As well as that, he goes well fresh, his record on his first run back after a break of 60 days or more reads 114121.

He is up to a handicap rating of 159 now, a career-high mark, and it may be that he will need close to a career-best performance if he is going to prevail, but he has lots in his favour, and it may be that close to a career-best performance is forthcoming.

Senior Citizen and Spiritofthegames are both proven at the track, and you can see both running well, but Spiritofthegames is 10 now, he hasn’t won since October 2018, and the ground may just be softer than ideal for Senior Citizen.

Biggest threat

Lifetime Ambition may emerge as the biggest threat to Two For Gold. Jessica Harrington’s horse progressed nicely last season, he won the Grade 3 Hugh McMahon Chase at Limerick at the end of March, and he got to within six and a half lengths of the potentially top-class Capodanno in the Grade 1 three-mile novices’ chase at the Punchestown Festival.

He is only seven and he has the potential to go beyond today’s handicap rating of 151, which is just 1lb higher than his Irish mark.

November Handicap

Israr is the correct favourite for the November Handicap at Doncaster.

He is progressive, he is two for two at Doncaster, and he was good in winning last time over today’s course and distance and on heavy ground. He has the potential to cope with a 7lb hike.

But this is his second run back after a break, his first run back was on heavy ground, so you have to recognise the possibility that he will ‘bounce’. And he is short. At over three times his price, First Officer may represent better value.

Winner of a handicap over a mile and a half at Salisbury in June off a mark of 77 for Roger Varian, the Galileo colt easily landed a 10-furlong handicap at Nottingham in early October on soft ground off a mark of 79 on his first run for Jane Chapple-Hyam.

He stepped forward from that last time on heavy ground at Doncaster, when, racing off a mark of 87, he just went down by the bob of a head to Unspoken, in a race from which the fifth-placed horse Dubai Leader has already come out and won.

First Officer is 2lb higher in the handicap than he was last time, but that is fine. He should appreciate the step back up to a mile and a half today, and we know that he can operate at Doncaster, and on heavy ground, and on heavy ground at Doncaster.

Also, his wide draw is probably a positive. The last eight winners of this race were all drawn 12 or higher, and the first four last year were all drawn 13 or higher.

Two For Gold, 2.11 Aintree, 6/1 (generally), 1 point each-way,

First Officer, 3.13 Doncaster, 10/1 (generally), 1 point each-way,