THE Scottish Grand National isn’t the only race that Paul Nicholls holds the key to at Ayr over the next couple of days - the Somerset handler should also have a major influence on events at the Craigie course this afternoon.
Nicholls’ decision to send Aintree flop Shotgun Willy on a recovery mission in tomorrow’s main event is likely to result in the majority of the field in the £110,000 marathon running from out of the handicap which, theoretically at least, reduces the
ir chances of success, but hopefully the fact that Thyne Will Tell is eight pounds "wrong" in today’s Hillhouse Quarry Chase won’t necessarily scupper his chances of success.
That Philip Hobbs’s runner isn’t in the handicap proper is again down to his county neighbour, who has kept Kadarann in the race, and while the top weight has the class to shrug aside his burden, he might have found the task a little easier had he not had quite so far to travel as the two-and-a-half miles he faces here.
Third at Aintree last time out, Kadarann clearly thrives on hard work, as he ran on consecutive days in the corresponding fixture 12 months ago, and rumour has it that he could be in for a double shift this time round as well.
Both of those outings were over the minimum trip, however, and if Thyne Will Tell has fully recovered from the fall he took on his latest outing, Nicholls’ runner may once again have to wait a wee while for his annual Ayr victory.
While you and I are only concerned with what’s going to win the race, Ayr officials must be wondering how on earth a £20,000 chase which had almost two dozen entries at the five-day stage has ended up with a line-up of just four, one of them three-and-a-half stones out of the handicap.
Even more worrying than that for whoever the new owners of the course are going to be, though, is that the miserable turnout is by no means a one-off, with not one event on the six-race card managing to attract a field that stretches to double figures.
And this for a fixture which purports to be the showpiece of the jumping game north of the Border.
Punters would be well advised not to run away with the idea that the lack of runners is going to make life easy for them, although as a general rule-of-thumb, following our man Nicholls may not be a bad idea.
Having fallen twice in her last three runs, No Need For Alarm might not be the most aptly named, but she still looks the answer to the Gala Casinos Novices Chase, and stablemates Earthmover and Silence Reigns also make plenty of appeal.
Throwaline can give Hobbs a double and on what could be a near whitewash day for southern raiders, Len Lungo can keep the home fires burning by taking the opener with Laouen.
Peter Monteith’s Cita Verda will also have plenty of fans in the mares-only hurdle, so both the five-year-old’s trainer and her supporters will doubtless be delighted to hear that our nap is Deep Sunset.
Nicky Henderson’s runner has had a couple of outings over fences but prior to that she was no mean hurdler, and on ground she’ll like, Mick Fitzgerald’s mount looks the business.
Meanwhile, at Musselburgh yesterday, Keith Dalgleish and Kieren Fallon shared the riding honours with two winners apiece, while trainer Jim Goldie belatedly made up for some near things this season with his first winner of the campaign courtesy of Ballyhurry.
Dalgleish, who was aboard Ballyhurry, had initiated a 44-1 double with Quito. Owner David Chapman said: "Keith has a good record for me - he said Quito was hanging right all the way, but he also said the ground was firm so that might be the reason. I will probably run him now at Pontefract on Monday."
Half-an-hour later Ballyhurry beat Friday’s Takings by a head.
Fallon was also in double form, making it two winners from two rides for John Quinn this season when Aleron, his first ride for former bookmaker Graham Liles, justified favouritism in the Sean Graham Bookmakers In Scotland Handicap.
Fallon, taking his score to 26, said with a smile: "At least that will help pay the air fare."
Meanwhile, Dean Mernagh was suspended for one day for using his whip with excessive frequency on Baylaw Star, the runner-up in the Sean Graham Skytext P370 Maiden Auction Stakes. As this triggered in a four-day deferred suspension, he will be sidelined on 19, 21, 22, 23 and 24 April.
