TWO AMIGOS CAN BE FRIEND TO PUNTERS
THE TWO AMIGOS (Uttoxeter, 3.35) can be the punters’ friend by landing the Marston’s Midlands Grand National this afternoon.
Nicky Martin’s admirable chaser has put the Minehead trainer on the map recently, showcasing her talents in some of the season’s premier staying events.
For a yard of modest size, Martin has another emerging talent in her grasp with Bear Ghylls who should also come into his own over fences following a fine run in the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle this week.
However, The Two Amigos has the opportunity to retain stable bragging rights with another prominent showing in today’s feature chase.
In some respects, the selection has been unfortunate to bump into one of the staying finds of the season in Secret Reprieve who has held the nine-year-old’s measure in both the Welsh Grand National and the trial for the Chepstow marathon.
It was to the credit of The Two Amigos that he narrowed the gap from 12 lengths to three in the
Christmas showpiece and a subsequent effort behind Haydock specialist Lord Du Mesnil also reads very well. Victory in the Sussex National a couple of years ago set the son of Midnight Legend on his way and the positive tactics which are usually adopted by jockey Matt Griffiths are often well suited to this race where it can be hard to make up ground. The Two Amigos boasts a record when off the track between three and five weeks of 42113222 which is incredibly consistent given the races he tackles, so hopefully he turns up in good form from his Haydock outing. Others to consider include the lightly raced Time To Get Up who is having just his fourth start over fences so could improve again and Ramses De Teillee who was a place behind The Two Amigos at Haydock and represents a yard with a great record in this race.