Ian Ogg presents the Timeform View of the key things to note on the racing front on Friday.
Three points of interest
Ballyburn vs Sir Gino
A small field will line up for the Ladbrokes Wayward Lad Novices' Chase (13:55) but rarely has the oft-used description 'select' being more apposite with Ballyburn and Sir Gino among the contenders.
Ballyburn has been among the ante-post favourites for a number of Cheltenham Festival races, including the Arkle Challenge Trophy and he still heads that particular market having made an impressive start to his chasing career over an extended two and a quarter miles at Punchestown.
Ballyburn escapes a penalty for that victory but does have to concede a 6 lb weight-for-age allowance to the two year younger Sir Gino.
Ballyburn was surprisingly beaten by Firefox on his hurdling debut but went on to win his next four starts, including three Grade 1s, culminating with victories at the Cheltenham and Punchestown Festivals. His chase debut has only thrown up one subsequent winner to date but Ballyburn was in a different league to his rivals and was more or less footperfect.
Sir Gino cedes experience to his rival having been re-routed to the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle where he successfully stood in for stablemate Constitution Hill to suggest that he, like Ballyburn, would be a live player in the Champion Hurdle if going down that route.
The juvenile has a perfect five from five career record, winning once in France, a juvenile course hurdle and a Triumph Hurdle Trial at Cheltenham. Sir Gino missed the Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham due to the much publicised problems affecting the Nicky Henderson stable but returned to win his Grade 1 at Aintree, comfortably accounting for Triumph Hurdle second Kargese among others.
Henderson has won this Grade 2 with both Shishkin and Altior and Sir Gino could well develop into another top-class two mile chaser for the veteran Lambourn handler.
Worth the weight in Wales
Only three of the last 10 renewals of the Coral Welsh Grand National (14:50) have been won by runners carrying over 11-0. Colin Tizzard was responsible for two of those with subsequent Gold Cup winner Native River (carried 11-12, rated 155) and the six-year-old novice Elegant Escape (11-8, 151) joined last year by another six-year-old in Nassalam (11-3, 145) for Gary Moore.
Some 34 lengths behind Nassalam in second was Iron Bridge who will line up from a 6 lb lower mark in his bid to go one better. Last year's third, Iwilldoit, also returns for another crack at the staying prize from 6 lbs lower having won the Welsh Grand National from out of the handicap - effectively 7 lbs lower - in 2021.
Top-weight Fontaine Collonges is 5 lbs lower than last year's top-weight but over half the field are still set to carry below 11-0 including a relatively rare Irish challenge in Where It All Began, Stuzzikini and Evies Vladimir. The last Welsh Grand National winner trained in Ireland was Raz De Maree in 2018 (the 2017 renewal was re-arranged and run on January 6th) with Notre Pere being the previous successful compatriot in 2008.
Where It All Began, trained by Gordon Elliott, appreciated stepping up in distance when winning the Grand National Trial at Punchestown in February and remains unexposed in the face of an extreme stamina test having finished fourth in the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup and the Irish Grand National on his two subsequent starts. Where It All Began wears blinkers for the first time having sported cheek-pieces for his previous five starts.
Course specialists take aim at Castleford
The William Hill Castleford Handicap Chase (14:45) at Wetherby has a famous roll of honour with Tingle Creek, Badsworth Boy, Waterloo Boy and Viking Flagship among the winners but the race has undergone a number of changes in status and condition in recent years.
Currently run as a 0-150 handicap, it was last won (in 2022) by Malystic who took his course record to a perfect two from two in doing so. Peter Niven's stable star was top-weight that year, as Malystic will be this, and is back down to the same official rating having been dropped by 7 lbs for his last two runs, a non-completion at Ascot and a 24 length defeat at Kelso. Malystic will soon turn 11 but proved that the engine still ticks over with a head second to Breizh River on his seasonal reappearance.
Pay The Piper has been a more frequent visitor to Wetherby, also winning twice as well as adding three second-placed finishes and a third to his haul from just seven outings [unseated on the other run]. Pay The Piper has been in consistent form this season, winning twice and twice finishing second at this course, chasing home Densworth over a two and a half mile trip he has yet to win over last time.
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