Skelton mount Not to be missed
Not That Fuisse can provide another winner for title-chasing jockey Harry Skelton on day one of the Scottish Grand National meeting at Ayr tomorrow.
Skelton, vying with Brian Hughes for the accolade which will be settled at the end of next week, ventures into his rival’s northern territories for a full book of rides – and Not That Fuisse may well be the pick of them in the Listed Hillhouse Quarry Handicap Chase.
Trained by Skelton’s brother Dan, the eight-yearold moves back up to this extended two-and-a-half-mile trip having shown up well over shorter in good company for the majority of the season.
Not That Fuisse won over close to this distance on his first run of the campaign at Perth in September, however, and performed with credit over slightly further in his hurdling days two seasons ago. The spring ground is sure to suit him – and on the basis of his fair effort in fifth behind Sky Pirate over the minimum trip in the Grand Annual at Cheltenham, he can win off his current rating.
The Skeltons have given him a decent break since, and missing Aintree to come here could well pay off.
His jockey may be in business too in the opening Tennent’s Lager Novices’ Hurdle, on prolific juvenile Stepney Causeway who can get the better of Mrs Hyde in an early Skelton-Hughes head-tohead on the market leaders.
Sporting the familiar colours worn by stable star Allmankind over the past two seasons, Stepney Causeway put an underwhelming first start over hurdles well behind him with an exuberant March hat-trick at Catterick and Stratford. He overturned previous form with a decent yardstick in the middle leg of his sequence, and should prove very difficult to peg back again here.
Homme Public is another juvenile with potential, despite his tame finish in top handicap company at the Cheltenham Festival. He had shown enough previously, with a convincing maiden victory at Market Rasen, to indicate he can cash in on his current rating.
The Ayrshire Cancer Support Handicap Hurdle could therefore be the right opportunity for him to bounce back, against his elders.
In the closing Book Your
Staycation @Western House Hotel Handicap Hurdle, Tomorrow’s Angel catches the eye for in-form trainer
Tristan Davidson.
Tomorrow’s Angel has run with credit to be third on the Flat at Redcar since winning for the first time in her career under either code, at Kelso last month. She got up late to narrowly beat a subsequent winner there – and back up in trip slightly, from 6lb higher, she has sound prospects again.