Eider a target for Harry The Viking

● Trainer Thomson eyes Newcastle event ● Take Mythical Madness at Chelmsford

Newcastle’s Eider Chase in February is a possible target for Harry The Viking as trainer Sandy Thomson takes a selective stance on prospective races for his evergreen 13-year-old.

His stable stalwart showed he still had plenty of fire in his belly when outbattling Calett Mad – seven years his junior – to take the Scottish Borders National at Kelso on Sunday in the hands of Rachael Mcdonald.

Ground conditions will play a part in future plans for the gelding, who was once partowned by Sir Alex Ferguson.

“We won’t run him on anything unless it’s good to soft or nearly that. Obviously, the Eider is a possibility and we’ll just have to see,” said the Berwickshire handler.

“The problem is if he runs in an Eider he’ll be 10lb worse off with those horses. They will have a nice racing weight and he’ll be out of the handicap.

“He loves it. If he goes in an Eider it’s all just a bit of fun with him now.”

Thomson reported Harry The Viking to be thriving after his latest encounter.

“I always felt he was well and he could go and run a race like that, but to actually do it – absolutely brilliant,” he said.

“You wouldn’t know he had a race. He’s back and out in the field, he’s great.”

In today’s action, Mythical Madness looks the safest proposition in the Irish Lotto At totesport.com Handicap at Chelmsford.

With £20,000 up for grabs, a disappointing field of just six go to post, with David O’meara providing two.

They include the selection and the frustrating Firmament, who will surely pop up one day but perhaps this is not the time.

There is no doubt firmament is weighted to win, and he ran respectably last time out, but the form book suggests he is better in a bigger field.

It has also been a long time between drinks for Mythical Madness, 10 races in fact, but he did win in July whereas his stablemate is two whole years without a success.

Neither of O’meara’s runners come without warning, as Mythical Madness likes to come late, but the small field should help that and there are bigger question marks over all of the others.

Lucinda Russell suffered a blow when One For Arthur exited early on Saturday on his comeback, but the exciting Highland Hunter can put the smile back on her face.

His only defeat to date came in a Grade Two bumper at Aintree, but the fact he even ran in that shows the regard in which he is held.

After winning at Ayr, he must defy a penalty in the 188Bet Casino Novices’ Hurdle at Newcastle but should be up to the task.