Iolani and Island Mahee back to defend titles at Musselburgh

The valuable Go North Series Finals get underway at Musselburgh today when Iolani and Island Mahee will be defending the titles they scooped 12 months ago. Musselburgh, the finals weekend - boasting over £480,000 in total prize money - moves on to Kelso tomorrow and Carlisle on Sunday.

Iolani, trained near Penrith by Dianne Sayer, is at doublefigure odds to repeat his success in the £30,000 Go North Sea Pigeon Series Handicap Hurdle Final, named after the dual-champion Hurdler who was on parade at the official opening of Musselburgh’s national hunt circuit in 1987.

Sayer said: “He sprung a bit of a surprise to some people last year and we’ve always looked at getting him qualified to come back and try again. He’s a few pounds higher in the weights but this is brilliant prize money for horses of his ability and we’re hoping to have a few runners over the three days.”

Island Mahee, trained in Northern Ireland by Stuart Crawford, is reunited with James Bowen as the partnership bid for back-to-back wins in the Go North Lady Buttons Mares’ Series Handicap Hurafter dle Final. The Larne raider stormed home by six lengths in 2021 and one of her main rivals looks to be Harriet Graham-trained Millarville.

Carrying the ‘Aye Right’ colours of Geoff and Elspeth Adam, she has won two of her last three starts at Kelso and over course and distance.

The two other feature races are the Go North Grey Bomber

Series Handicap Hurdle Final and the Go North Brindisi Breeze Series Handicap Hurdle staged over 2m 1f and three miles respectively.

Meanwhile, Flying Nun can chalk up a hat-trick for Emma Lavelle in Hereford's Central Roofing Mares' Handicap Hurdle.

Successful at Fontwell in January and Taunton in February,

Flying Nun's narrow verdicts of a short head and a neck have limited the handicapper's reaction a bit and while she is 10lb higher, the switch up to three miles last time seemed to eke out a bit more improvement.

Take Your Time let down his supporters last time but can make amends in the Happy Birthday Tosia And Lily Handicap Hurdle at Newton Abbot.

He just did not sparkle at Chepstow over the Christmas period and the fact he has not run since then would suggest something was amiss that day.

Paul Nicholls' charge had previously struck gold at Ffos Lasandchepstowandisworth another chance.