DOUBLE HANDFUL

John Shaw’s racing betting column in association with

GOOD old Musselburgh stages its biggest two-day meeting of the year this weekend with more than £240,000 prize money on offer. There’s only five runners declared in the Scottish County Hurdle (2.05pm) where the favourite is likely to be Jim Goldie’s Sir Chauvelin.

The six-year-old is no stranger to this track having raced here six times, winning three times and finishing in the first two on four occasions.

Unsurprisingly his best performance was recorded at the course, winning on New Year’s Day when beating 2014 Champion Bumper winner Silver Concorde.

It’s worth noting, though, that he’s been raised a hefty 8lb for that victory and that his jumping can been erratic at times, usually when I back him.

I prefer to side with the Paul Nichollstrained AMOUR DE NUIT.

Nicholls knows what it takes to win this race, having bagged the prize 12 months ago with Diego Du Charmil. In-form rising star Bryony Frost is on board this afternoon fresh from her victory on Frodon last weekend. Frost has a 5lb claim but if she rides one more winner it gets reduced to 3lb — and Nicholls expects that to happen this weekend. It will be interesting to see what horse, if any, she rides in the Grand National because you can bet your bottom dollar it’ll get backed off the boards. Her mount this afternoon is a seasoned campaigner at six years of age with wins at Kempton, Newton Abbot and Taunton over hurdles and Ayr, York and Ripon on the Flat. I envisage Amour De Nuit to be too classy and too consistent for his four rivals here and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Nicholls have a very successful day at Musselburgh across the board. Remember, you heard it here first, if it happens. If it doesn’t, you heard it somewhere else.