Raceline: Tip of the day 8th February
Friday 8th February
MASTER MALT
Kempton 4.30 WIN
The name of this five-year-old went into the notebook of every discerning punter after his eyecatching debut run in a Bumper at Ayr’s Scottish Grand National meeting last April. Despite coming up against a hot Nicky Henderson-trained favourite in River Maigue, he acquitted himself with huge credit to finish a close second, 15 lengths clear of another talented sort in Duke Of Navan, trained by Nicky Richards. Both the winner and the third have blossomed into useful novice hurdlers this term, while this horse was sent to the sales, where he was bought for £140,000 guineas by JP McManus. He has since been switched from the small Scottish yard of Alistair Whillans to Jonjo O’Neill, for whom he runs for the first time today. Jonjo and JP have decided to stick to Bumpers for now, so victory here could well sit up a tilt at the Cheltenham Festival last month.
YESTERDAY: PINE CREEK WON (10/11)
WEDNESDAY: EDUARD WON
TIP OF THE DAY SUPPLIED BY SCOOP RACING (RICHARD SILVERWOOD).