lie forrit and quentine collonges are of interest
to me at the prices.Maybe Galaxy Rock will go for
the Whitbread?

i completely agree with ic super's excellent analysis.mergio is rock solid!i think the hcper has a grip on galaxy rock and fruity o rooney and ikorodu road ,plus will they get the trip?knockara beau is totaly unreliable and eratic.portrait king does not jump well enough for me and thus i think will get outpaced,they normally go a good clip in this.  harry the viking is a serious danger and rightly the fav.jumps lovely,gets the trip and probally has improvement in him.i think he will be all the rage on saturday,wudnt surprise me if he went off around 11/4,its only negative is lack of experiance.all in all i think magio is an e.w cert and absolutely can win,10s or better and i will have a righ cut.gl all

garleton has run 8 times this season

http://www.ayr-racecourse.co.uk/owners-and-trainers/going-weather

Found this link on twitter with regard to Ayr's going. Plenty of rain last night and more expected. Already Good-Good to soft in places. The way the forecast looks I'd be surprised if there was any "good" in the going description come Saturday.

Undecided as to whether soft ground will be detrimental to Harry the Viking's chances. Thoughts?

Well he has never run on worse than GS and though this may be pure coincidence, wouldn't be a positive to me especially at it's price.

For me everything is coming right for PK

Irish Nat. winner was over 20l behind,Mister farmer and Paddy pub further behind have also won races since.

knockara for me with a saver on lie forrit.  i disagree that knockara is eractic, he is very consistent, he just needs 4 miles.  for me, he is the absolute class horse in the race

Stats look to be against knockara with the weight he'll probably have to carry. I remember Grey Abbey winning off top weight but he was built to carry weights and even he may have lost if Granit didn't fall at the last. Do they plan to run Junior here?

As the ground softens the chances must surely increase that Junior will wait for the Whitbread (or whatever its called now) a week later

I was on Merigo two years ago too and fear I may have a soft spot for him. I'm really tempted to put my biggest bet ever on him e/w. There hasn't been too many multiple winners of this race but a lot of them are aimed at the Grand National after winning this. He's on a good mark and more importantly has shown some recent form with his win last time out. I think soft ground would be a bonus for him if only for the fact it would rule out some of the younger challengers and make it harder for higher weights to last the distance.

Yes, merigo was very impressive when winning a novice handicap at the SGN meeting on good ground about 100 years ago, it was that which convinced me to back him 2 years ago as many were assuming he needed heavy ground after his Eider win.

Paul Keally has put Merigo up in The Weekender

I've just backed Merigo e/w NRNB at 8/1 in laddies. I can't see him out of the top 4 barring a fall and he's only ever fell when taking on the Aintree fences. Never been unplaced at Ayr, proven to stay the trip, handles any ground, looks to be on a nice mark and has a great racing weight. I nearly placed my biggest bet ever on it but talked myself around to a large but manageable bet in case it goes wrong :-)

Connections of Junior will monitor the horse's condition as well as the weather before deciding whether to commit their charge to the Coral Scottish Grand National at Ayr on Saturday.

The David Pipe-trained nine-year-old has a slightly swollen joint following his fall at the second fence in the John Smith's Grand National at Aintree last weekend.

Another concern is the likely soft ground north of the border as Junior would have to carry top weight of 11st 12lb in the stamina test over an extended four miles.

"He's fine, he's happy. He did rap a joint which is a tiny bit swollen and we have to monitor that during the week as to whether he runs in the Scottish National," said Tim Palin, racing manager to owners Middleham Park Racing.

"It also depends on what the ground is. He's got top weight and it's possible he might wait a week for the Bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown. We'll have to see if his joint settles down."

Palin was delighted Junior returned safe and sound after being caught immediately after his fall by jockey Tom Scudamore.

"Tom caught him straightaway and they walked back together," he went on.

"We were worried because we didn't see the horse run back but it was because Tom had caught him, so it took them a while to get back."

Irish trainer Maurice Phelan has no such worries about Portrait King, who returns to these shores attempting to supplement his triumph in the Eider Chase at Newcastle in February.

"He's had a good break since the Eider and he's ready to go again," Phelan told At The Races.

"He won't give up and he toughs it out. He showed in the Eider that he stays and stays.

"He was always going to be a four-mile horse and jumping is his game. He should be thereabouts with luck in running over those 27 fences.

"It looks like being soft, which should be perfect ground for him."

I just can see Junior running....

What happened to Posh Bird LTO?? big price given its run with PK when it probably idled, certainly travelled well enough into the last

Lie Forrit is out

I have backed Benny be good at 25s first 5 places. This horse has been gently ridden in its last 4 races in my opinion by James Reveley to get it's handicap mark droped by 8lbs for this. Held up never nearer. thank me later

Just done exactly the same mattyboy6 for exactly the same reasons. Keith Reveley has had this as its aim all winter whilst at the same time moaning (very loudly) that its handicap mark is too high. I think its as good a chaser as hurdler so if you take a peak at its run at Haddock in November with Synchronised, Cape Tribulation, Sunnyhillboy behind then whilst not thrown in he has a big shout to go one better for John Wade this year. Although I feel Good/ Good-soft suits best he handles soft well as proved at Huntingdon when staying on very strongly over 3m 1 and has been carrying big weights all winter. TBH unless we get severe showers on saturday I think the ground will be g/s.
Heres hoping!
COMEONBENNY!!!!!!

One out of left field is Pettifour. Was a classy hurdler and if he jumps will feel let loose with 10st on it's back. Over 80's on here is massive.

fruity orooney

WIN