The Adonis features some exciting juvenile hurdlers with tall reputations, but at the current prices Margaret’s Legacy is worth chancing.
The French raider bolted up on his hurdling debut at Cagnes in early December and then followed up at the track three weeks later, beating a subsequent Listed winner.
The bare form may need improving upon here, but his trainer is confident that there is a good deal more to come and the fact he has brought him to the UK, rather than stay in France for a race at Auteuil on Monday, shows the regard in which he is held.
He holds the Triumph Hurdle entry and connections are optimistic about their chances today. At 12-1, he makes each-way appeal.
2.25pm Kempton Park – 0.5pts each-way Margaret’s Legacy @ 11-1 (various, take Best Odds Guaranteed)
The Eider looks an open contest this year, but I really like the chances of Big River, who has lots of good form in staying handicaps and can become the third 11yo to win this in the past eight runnings.
His yard has had a relatively quiet season, but they’ve had a winner already on the card and Big River ticks lots of boxes. A proven stayer, he was fifth in the Scottish National in 2019 and was going nicely when coming down at Kelso a year ago in a 4m contest.
A staying-on fifth off 2lbs higher at last year’s Festival is really strong form in the context of this (he was a neck off Vinndication) and he was only beaten 19L in the Welsh National on his latest outing.
His trainer is a dab hand with staying chasers, but has only run one in this in the past decade, which was Mysteree, who finished a good fourth in 2016, before winning the race for her partner Peter Scudamore’s son Michael a year later. He has a good racing weight of 11-1 (five of the last eight winners have run off either 10-13 or 11-0), which is another positive.
3.15pm Newcastle – 1pt each-way Big River (15/2 5 places with Skybet, also 17/2 4 places with WillHill)
