Musselburgh will hold a precautionary inspection at ahead of tomorrow’s Saltire 2012 Race Day.
Clerk of the Course, Harriet Graham, is confident that if the forecast of -2 degrees overnight and up to +4 degrees is correct, racing will go ahead. Frost covers will be put on any vulnerable areas overnight and Musselburgh say they are erring on the side of caution.
The outcome of the 8am inspection will be posted on the racecourse’s website www.musselburgh-racecourse.co.uk and on its Facebook and Twitter feeds.
Feature race at the East Lothian course is the £12,000 Weatherbys Printing Handicap Chase (2.20) which sees last year’s multiple course winner, Red Tanber, make his second appearance of the winter season but Bruce Mactaggart’s chaser was pulled up at Musselburgh last time out and will be hard pressed to beat the recent hurdles winner Nine Stories, and the Nicky Richard trained Houston Dynimo, a winner on the flat at Musselburgh last summer in the hands of Paul Mulrennan.
Houston Dynimo scored on his chasing debut at Worcester and was a creditable second behind the progressive Stormy Weather at Wetherby in mid-November. He jumps well and will be suited by the drying ground at Musselburgh.
Nicky Richards can initiate a lucrative double by winning the £8,000 Weatherbys Printing Services Novices’ Handicap Chase (1.10) with Tutchec, still a maiden over fences but a respectable second to Secret Desert at Ayr on his latest outing. Tutchec made a number of mistakes on the heavy ground but was still in front approaching the last fence and was only headed on the run-in.
The CEEJ Ltd Juvenile Hurdle (12.40) could develop into a head-to-head between the recent Wetherby winner Asteroid Belt, and the impressive Market Rasen scorer Kashmir Peak, now in the care of John Quinn.
Formerly trained in Ireland by Ger Lyons for whom he showed useful form on the flat, Kashmir Peak has pleased his new trainer ever since he arrived at his Malton stable at the end of September and he proved a decisive nine length winner from Don’t Take Me Alive when a well backed favourite on his hurdling debut at Market Rasen.
It could be a great day for Greystoke trainer Nicky Richards whose Parc Des Princes has a sound chance of taking the 2 mile hurdle at 2.55. Parc Des Princes, a course winner at Musselburgh, was still travelling well when unseating his rider down the back straight at the last Musselburgh meeting. Given a clear round he will be hard to beat.
Gates open at 10.30am and first race is off at 12.10pm. For more details visit www.musselburgh-racecourse.co.uk
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
