Tanya Stevenson's Selections For Scottish Grand National Day
Tanya Stevenson joins us once again to preview all of the very best racing action this weekend.
She has cast her eye over Scottish Grand National day at Ayr and made two selections which can be backed with the best horse racing betting sites.
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Tanya Stevenson's Selections For Saturday
- The Panel Selection 1: 14:15 Ayr - Kihavah
- The Panel Selection 2: 15:35 Ayr - Famous Bridge - Each-Way
Patience is a virtue; well, I hope it is on Saturday!
While all the hullabaloo goes on regarding the battle for the British trainer's championship, it might be worth leaving that to one side and seeing if there are any gems hidden away in the markets offered by betting sites.
There is a tentative link between both my Ayr selections.
Tanya Stevenson Panel Tip 1: Ayr 14:15 - Kihavah
Back on February 15, I was at Haydock to enjoy the Grand National Trial. The weather was a bit sharp, but the course was a novelty for Haydock in that it was good to soft rather than a quagmire.
Anyway, while I was watching Threeunderthrufive go down by a nostril at Ascot, my desperate cheers attracted the attention of most in the vicinity, including Adrian Paul Keatley.
A few weeks earlier, I had readied myself to flag up Kihavah with 10-pound claimer James Robottom for the Ladbrokes handicap hurdle at Ascot.
Sadly, the weather deteriorated the night before, and that was that. Keen to discover Kihavah’s next target, I had the front to ask the trainer, and he kindly said he needed the ground, so it might be Ayr.
Keatley has had a dream season with his jumpers, his best season ever with 16 winners, double his previous record and all at a 21% strike rate.
His reading of the racing calendar has been precise, and he brings Kihavah to the Scottish Champion Hurdle after a light campaign. Remember, in August, he was second in the Ebor behind Magical Zoe.
In October, he changed codes and finished second in a Listed Hurdle at Kempton to Rubaud.
Then came his best career run when he led the Grade 1 Fighting Fifth until two out and was only beaten 12 lengths by Sir Gino and Lump Sum.
He has not been seen since, and that, in the main, would have been due to the ground. Brian Hughes is on board, and his record for the trainer is 10 wins from 38 rides - 26%.
Tanya Stevenson Panel Tip 2: Ayr 15:35 - Famous Bridge (Each-Way)
I mentioned there was a tentative link between my selections for Scottish Grand National day.
Not long after speaking to Adrian Keatley, Famous Bridge won the Grand National Trial. The further they went, the better he got, and I’m sure many thought he needed heavy to be at his best.
Well, this performance dispelled the rumour. I acknowledge he has subsequently lost the race, but that will make connections keen to gain compensation.
His next run was at the Cheltenham Festival in the Ultima, where he’d run brilliantly in 2024.
Famous Bridge was hampered by Richmond Lake making a mistake at the eighth and he lost more lengths than Richmond Lake.
It blunted his progress and probably stopped him from matching the previous year's placing of fourth. Races such as the Ultima are run at too much of a frenetic tempo for Famous Bridge, and he may well be suited better by the rhythm of a Scottish National.
It’s key to be in the top five or six from the start. This is something he can do, and this has been an aim rather than an afterthought to enable success in the Trainers Championship.
Look out for that with The Kniphand and Brandt, too.
I do have a massive soft spot for Olympic Man, but I didn’t think he’d turn up here. Fluent jumping is not his forte yet, but he caught everyone’s eye when fourth to Dancing City at Punchestown in December. Since then, his jumping has let him down badly.
Plus, I worry whether four miles for him on a quicker ground will suit, though he is partnered by Patrick Mullins, who is still on a high from Aintree. I might consider some very small forecasts and tricasts, but may I emphasise very small.
Back to Famous Bridge, he has plenty of weight to carry, but he is a very big unit. It's more about whether Sean Quinlan can get him in the front few from the off.
Nicky Richards won this before with Taking Risks in 2019, and Sunday’s feature in the industry paper showed that the trainer has more fire in his belly than ever.
