ALTHOUGH the weather is playing havoc with this afternoon’s action I am hopeful we will see my Coral Welsh Grand National hope land this weekend’s big contest at 3.10. The market is made for us by the Evan Williams-trained lightweight Secret Reprieve, but it is the equally unexposed DOMINATEUR that fits the nap bill.

Trainer Oliver Sherwood has long had this deep marathon event as a target for him ever since he ran two solid races last December over a distance a shade short of three miles, on both occasions handling the deep conditions really well.

His one run this season came on unsuitably fast ground at Sandown Park in the Future Stars Intermediate Chase, when over three miles he was predictably outpaced by Pym and If The Caps Fits.

Sherwood has kept his charge fit and fresh for this and in the process protected his handicap mark to boot and off a rating of just 141 and more importantly off a good racing weight of 10-08, he has an outstanding chance of landing this mid-winter prize probably at the chief expense of last year’s fourth Prime Venture and the Ladbrokes trophy fourth The Hollow Grange.

It is a fabulous card at the Welsh venue and I am looking forward to seeing how Nordano does on his big step up to three miles in the handicap hurdle at 12.50.

As a juvenile he looked all over a stayer when racing behind the likes of Allmankind and Goshen over two miles before bashing up Malaya over two-and-a-half miles at Ascot.

His two runs this term have been disappointing, but on his first run over this trip he could still be the biggest danger to ASK DILLON (nb).

A really good placed effort off a mark of 138 in the big handicap hurdle on Betfair Chase day at Haydock Park behind the prolific Main Fact was a cracking run and he then followed that up with a head second behind Captain Zebo at Carlisle. However, with the 7lbs claimer Liam Harrison employed in the saddle he now finds himself running off a rating of just 136 and to my eyes he is the rightful favourite for this real slug fest over the smaller obstacles.

The big juvenile hurdle at 1.25 should go to the Gary Moore-trained NASSALAM following his all the way success at Fontwell Park. This youngster has a really high cruising speed and although this is a huge step up in grade, he gets the vote to see off the likes of Adagio and the Nick Williams-trained outsider Yggdrasil.

There is a cracking card at Kempton Park where the Lanzarote Handicap Hurdle is the big betting event and I think we should get a really good run for our money at a double-figure price about AMOUR DE NUIT.

He has an outstanding record at the Sunbury-On-Thames track over both hurdles and fences and with the promising 7lbs claimer Kevin Brogan taking 7lbs off his back, a mark of 135 should see him go close here and continue his brilliant run at the track.

Elsewhere at the meeting, I think we will see a big run from the mare THE BAY BIRCH from the foot of the weights in the two-and-a-half mile handicap chase at 1.10. She ran a really good race until the latter stages over hurdles at Cheltenham last time out and looks much better value than the likely favourite Evander.

The last named jumps like an absolute stag and around a track which will play to his strengths I think he could well be worth a saver at around the 6/1 marker.

One of the better value bets of the day comes on the all-weather at Chelmsford in a low grade mile-and-a-quarter handicap at 3.40.

There should be plenty of pace on here and that will suit MANDARIN partnered by the in-form Laura Pearson.

This formerly smart handicapper was racing in class two and three events as recently as October and since August 2019 his mark has plummeted from 93 down to 69. Of course that reason alone does not give us the green light to back the seven-year-old especially as it is glaringly apparent that he is not the horse he used to be.

But in what was a slowly run race at Newcastle last month there was plenty of promise to hang onto to conclude that he is better than his current lowly mark.

As I always do, national hunt or flat, I like to look at the make-up and pace in a race and there is certainly no shortage in place here. For a horse that has to be held up and come with a long rush in the closing stages then this is the perfect racing scenario.

At the time of writing there are no prices available, but I anticipate at least a double figure offer and I am holding out for something in the region of 12/1 before I invest.

SUNDAY DOUBLE:-

NICK VEDDER — 3.50 SOUTHWELL (NAP)

tyrell — 1.20 southwell