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Ballyburn vs Sir Gino

A small field will line up for the Ladbrokes Wayward Lad Novices’ Chase (13:55) but rarely has the oft-used description ‘select’ been more appropriate with Ballyburn and Sir Gino among the contenders.

Ballyburn has been among the ante-post favorites for a number of Cheltenham Festival races, including the Arkle Challenge Trophy, and he remains at the head of that particular market after making an impressive start to his chasing career over an extended two and one quarter of a mile in Punchestown.

Ballyburn escapes a penalty for that win but must concede a 6lb weight-for-age allowance to the two-year-younger Sir Gino.

Ballyburn was surprisingly beaten by Firefox on his hurdling debut but went on to win his next four starts, including three Grade 1s, culminating in victories at the Cheltenham and Punchestown Festivals. His chase debut has produced just one subsequent winner to date, but Ballyburn was in a different league to his rivals and was more or less perfect on foot.

Sir Gino gives experience to his rival after being diverted to the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle, where he successfully stood in for stablemate Constitution Hill to suggest that, like Ballyburn, he would be a live player in the Champion Hurdle if he went down that route.

The youngster has a perfect five from five career record, having won once in France, a juvenile track hurdle and a Triumph Hurdle Trial at Cheltenham. Sir Gino missed the Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham due to the much publicized problems affecting the Nicky Henderson stable, but returned to win his Grade 1 at Aintree, comfortably accounting for the Triumph Hurdle’s second Kargese among others.

Henderson has won this Grade 2 with both Shishkin and Altior, and Sir Gino could well develop into another top-class two-mile chaser for the veteran Lambourn dealer.

Worth the weight in Wales

Only three of the last 10 renewals of the Coral Welsh Grand National (14:50) have been won by runners at 11-0. Colin Tizzard was responsible for two of them with subsequent Gold Cup winner Native River (worn 11-12, rated 155) and six-year-old novice Elegant Escape (11-8, 151) joined last year by another six -year- old in Nassalam (11-3, 145) for Gary Moore.

Some 34 lengths behind Nassalam in second place was Iron Bridge, who will line up from a 6lb lower mark in his bid to go one better. Last year’s third, Iwilldoit, also returns for another crack at the remaining prize from 6lbs lower after winning the Welsh Grand National from the handicap – actually 7lbs lower – in 2021.

Topweight Fontaine Collonges is 5lbs lower than last year’s topweight, but over half the field is still set to carry under 11-0 including a relatively rare Irish challenge in Where It All Began, Stuzzikini and Evie’s Vladimir. The last Welsh Grand National winner trained in Ireland was Raz De Maree in 2018 (the 2017 renewal was rearranged and run on 6 January) with Notre Pere as the previous successful compatriot in 2008.

Where It All Began, trained by Gordon Elliott, appreciated stepping up in distance when winning the Grand National Trial at Punchestown in February and remains unexposed to an extreme test of endurance after finishing fourth in the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup and the Irish Grand National on his two subsequent starts. Where It All Began wears blinkers for the first time after wearing cheekpieces for his previous five starts.

Course specialists take aim at Castleford

The William Hill Castleford Handicap Chase (2.45pm) at Wetherby has a famous roll of honor with Tingle Creek, Badsworth Boy, Waterloo Boy and Viking Flagship among the winners, but the race has undergone a number of changes in status and condition in recent years.

Currently run as a 0-150 handicap, it was last won (in 2022) by Malystic, who took his course record to a perfect two from two in doing so. Peter Niven’s stable star was top weight that year when Malystic will be this and is back on the same official rating having dropped 7lbs for his last two races, a non-finish at Ascot and a 24-length defeat at Kelso. Malystic is about to turn 11 but proved the engine is still ticking over with a head second to Breizh River on his seasonal reunion.

Pay The Piper has been a more frequent visitor at Wetherby, also winning twice as well as adding three second-place finishes and a third to his haul from just seven outings (unseated on the second course). Pay The Piper has been in consistent form this season, winning twice and finishing second twice at this course, chasing Densworth home over a two and a half mile trip he is yet to win last time out.

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