Jane Mangan’s William Hill Blog: Can Whacker do it? Yes, he Clan

Ayr, Saturday

A lot of the focus for the next 10 days will be on three trainers; Willie Mullins, Paul Nicholls and Dan Skelton. A lot of the results, of course, are going to go their way, but don’t forget that Nicky Henderson is one of the all-time greats and his horses are back in form, as we saw from Aintree. So, in the Scottish Champion Hurdle (2.25pm), I’m going to go for First Street. Fresh from a wind operation, he was last seen finishing third behind Lossiemouth at Cheltenham’s January meeting. He has very good form behind top-class horses, including Constitution Hill last year, and I think First Street could be value against the rest of the field.

In the mares’ handicap hurdle (3.00pm), Willie Mullins is triple-handed, but I like A Penny A Hundred. She has Grade 1 form, she ran quite well behind Jade De Grugy last time, but she also ran well behind her in January and seems to be holding her form well. I think the step up in trip will be no problem for her and she’s the choice of Paul Townend. She brings the best form here and, still only a five-year-old, is open to plenty of improvement. I think A Penny A Hundred is going to be very hard to beat.

The Scottish Grand National (3.35pm) is a hugely competitive race, as it should be – it’s a very important race! There are 26 runners, so I’m going to look outside the top-priced horses because I think there’s value to be had in this race. Henry de Bromhead’s horse, Whacker Clan, has a fantastic chance off a lovely light weight, with only 10st 2lbs on his back. He had a very good run at the Cheltenham Festival when he made most of the running, only to get a little bit tired late-on over the extended trip. I think maybe more conservative tactics from Rachael Blackmore will be a huge advantage to Whacker Clan’s chances, who – let’s not forget – won at the Cheltenham October meeting. He is in very good form, winning his two races at Tramore and in Cheltenham, and I think that de Bromhead has found the perfect pitch for him here. I think Whacker Clan is going to take an awful lot of whacking!

Curragh, Saturday

Saturday’s Group 3 Alleged Stakes (3.55pm) at the Curragh sees the return of last year’s Epsom Derby third, White Birch. He won his Derby trial at Leopardstown on his seasonal reappearance in April 2023, and I hope he can make another winning seasonal reappearance in the April of 2024. His season curtailed somewhat last year with a lacklustre effort in the Irish Derby, and I was disappointed that he got beaten at Leopardstown by Adelaide River on Irish Champions Weekend, but his best form from last year was at the beginning of the season. He ran second in the Dante as well behind The Foxes – a really strong piece of form – before running a huge race in the Derby. Remember, when he was runner-up in the Dante, the eventual St Leger winner Continuous was behind him in third. I think White Birch is set for a big season, so hopefully he can get off to a good start at the Curragh.

Curragh, Sunday

On Sunday at the Curragh, the Listed Gladness Stakes is the feature race (4.00pm) over seven furlongs. It’s not a big field, with only six runners, but I like a filly in there called Jumbly. It’s interesting that connections have kept her in training as a five-year-old and I think her form from last year stands out. She’s got a very high rating in here – she’s not the highest rated but she’s receiving weight – and I think she’s favourably treated by the conditions, despite the fact that she was only beaten three lengths by Rogue Millenium in the Duke Of Cambridge at Ascot and ran very well behind Tahiyra in the Matron. On her last run, she probably disappointed somewhat in the Breeders’ Cup, but that tells you something about the company she was keeping.