Barry Geraghty’s William Hill blog: Mullins can Top the Charts at Kelso

William Hill ambassador looks over the best of Saturday’s racing from Kelso, Newbury, Doncaster and Navan, picking out his best bets along the way.

Kelso, Saturday

GREY DAWNING is the class horse in the Premier Chase (1:45pm). Last time out, he made a bad mistake at the first fence in the King George and was on the backfoot afterwards. That was run on good ground and all of his best form is on soft ground, so I would forgive him that. He’s a winner at last year’s Cheltenham Festival and is a high-class horse, so he should be hard to beat here, using this race as a stepping stone to Aintree.

The Premier Novices’ (2:55pm) is an interesting and open-looking race. Vanderpoel and Roadlesstravelled are two I was quite interested in but on form I like Willie Mullins’ CHART TOPPER. He was beaten in three bumpers, but has been impressive in two starts over hurdles this season. He has a lot of pace and used that to good effect when running out a comfortable winner at Wetherby last time. I think he’s a horse on a real upward curve.

Emmet Mullins is a brilliant target trainer and his runner VISCHIO must be of strong interest in the Morebattle Hurdle (3:30pm). Last time out Vischio was a poignant winner of a race named in memory of Emmet’s grandparents. That was her first run since coming to Emmet from Dick Donoghue and he has a tendency of improving horses he gets from other yards, so I think Vischio has the potential to take a big step forward from last time. I’d say this race would have been the plan for some time and she could put herself in line for the £100,000 bonus if she can then follow up and win a race at Cheltenham.

Newbury, Saturday

In the Greatwood Gold Cup (3:45pm) at Newbury, I thought SAINT SEGAL could offer a little bit of each-way value. He was an impressive course-and-distance winner two starts ago and last time ran another good race when only losing out to a progressive rival at Musselburgh. That’s a real specialist track, and I think he’ll be happier back at Newbury where he won so well the time before.

Doncaster, Saturday

GABRIEL’S GETAWAY was a good course-and-distance winner when beating Calico at Doncaster in January and could follow up in this two-mile handicap chase (2:40pm). That looks a good level of form, and he’s four from six over fences, so there’s plenty to like. He was beaten the time before at Ludlow on soft ground, but with the ground set to be good at Doncaster, that should suit him too.

The Grimthorpe (3:15pm) is always a tough and competitive race. WHITE RHINO has showed good form over fences this season, winning at Haydock and Ayr, before unseating in the Grade 1 Kauto Star at Kempton over Christmas. Although he’s a nine-year-old, he’s two from three over fences and is still unexposed. There are question marks over a few of his rivals too, with Some Scope pulling up last time, Weveallbeencaught not exactly consistent, and Surrey Quest well beaten around Doncaster before.

Navan, Saturday

I was going to go with Grangeclare West in the Webster Cup (3:50pm) on the form of his second to Galopin Des Champs at Leopardstown but the fact Paul Townend has chosen to ride EL FABIOLO makes me side with him. Paul is very rarely wrong when he has to choose between stablemates and El Fabiolo is by far and away the best horse in the race. If you think back to 12 months ago, he absolutely hacked up over two miles at the Dublin Racing Festival. He’s been disappointing and something of a forgotten horse since then but if he can reproduce anything close to that form, he’ll win this.