Copper Knight looks set to shine

COPPER KNIGHT can take advantage of an attractive handicap mark to win the Betway Scottish Sprint Cup at Musselburgh.

Tim Easterby’s charge was fourth in this race two years ago when rated 100, before hitting a career high of 106 that summer.

Copper Knight received that elevated rating thanks to a mix of excellent runs in big handicaps and group races.

He won York’s Listed City Walls Stakes, and ran a cracking race in the Group One Nunthorpe Stakes at the same track, taking sixth place behind Battaash.

The Sir Prancealot gelding managed to hang on to his highest rating until last June, after going down by only a short head to Makanah at Newmarket when the season started late because of the coronavirus lockdown.

He has been unable to match that effort in eight runs in a busy subsequent spell which ended with his worst performance for a long time at Catterick.

Copper Knight usually runs well fresh, though and, having had the winter off, he could be primed for a big effort on his return.

In contrast, NATE THE GREAT can make his race fitness count in the Betway Queen’s Cup.

The Andrew Baldingtrained stayer has had four runs during the winter and got his head in front on his latest start with a game neck verdict over Who Dares Wins at Wolverhampton.

His last run on turf, coincidentally, was when he was fourth to Who Dares Wins at Royal Ascot.

Nate The Great has some decent form going further back, including when third to subsequent Derby winner Anthony Van Dyck in the Lingfield Trial. He also won on his only previous visit to this course as a two-year-old when trained by Archie Watson.

SELECTIONS: HAYDOCK: 1.00 Sexy Lot, 1.30 Five Star Getaway, 2.05 Xcitations, 2.40 Innisfree Lad, 3.15 Small Present, 3.50 Rose Of Aghaboe, 4.25 Air Navigator. MUSSELBURGH: 1.20 Atomic Force, 1.50 Stone Soldier, 2.25 Tornadic, 3.00 COPPER KNIGHT (NAP), 3.35 Nate The Great, 4.11 Tomily, 4.46 Ayr Poet. DOUBLE: Copper Knight and Nate The Great.