Uppertown Prince returns to happy hunting ground at Ayr

Course winner carries top weight in today’s feature race

Ayr stages its first Saturday meeting of 2019 today with the seven-race Tennent’s Raceday, the feature event being the Caledonia Best Handicap Hurdle for the Craigie Cup.

Twelve runners go to post for this contest due off at 4:30pm and top weight is Uppertown Prince, the mount of Brian Hughes, from the Donald Mccain yard who won the novices event on this card last year. Nicky Richards saddles another course winner in Better Getalong with Craig Nichol riding and Ruth Jefferson runs the lightly-raced Buster Valentine who has won two of his three starts.

The Tennent’s Lager Handicap Chase, due off at 3:20pm, has seven runners and Sue Smith’s Treshnish with Danny Cook riding gets in off bottom weight and could be hard to beat, although Forest des Aigles from the Lucinda Russell yard could be a danger if returning to form on a track where he has won in the past.

The opening race, the Menebrea Novices’ Hurdle, could be tailor made for Largy Prospect who is having his second run for the Ian Duncan yard having caught the eye in a similar race at the track last month.

The action concludes with a National Hunt Flat race at 5:35pm where Keith Dalgleish’s Sidi Ismael looks an interesting runner. Elsewhere, Dream Du Grand Val can take full advantage of his light weight in the Matchbook Imperial Cup Handicap Hurdle at Sandown. The presence of his fellow Nicky Henderson inmate Call Me Lord at the top of the field means a handful of horses at the bottom will be running from out of the handicap, and allows Dream Du Grand Val to carry just 10st 5lb as he bids for a hat-trick.

The six-year-old has had just three British outings to date – and after finishing third on his debut for Henderson, Dream Du Grand Val has not looked back in winning at Fontwell and Kelso.

Admittedly neither of those events was anything to write home about, but the Puit D’OR gelding has won by comfortable margins on each occasion – even allowing for some questionable hurdling last time.

Dream Du Grand Val is clearly still learning his trade – but a 6lb hike in the ratings might not be enough to arrest his progress here, with a couple of Cheltenham entries still to go at next week.

Henderson, meanwhile, has met with a setback in his efforts to get star novice Santini fit for the RSA Insurance Novices’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival next week.

The seven-year-old went for a racecourse gallop at Newbury on Sunday, but he pulled off a shoe in the process and Henderson described him as lame and sore on Tuesday.

The trainer was much more upbeat 24 hours later, posting a video of Santini trotting on the gallops and reporting all back on course for Wednesday. But he said in his blog for Unibet yesterday that the issue had “reared its ugly head again”.

He added: “The team are doing their very best and I am still hopeful that we will get there in time.”