The Scottish Cheltenham Trials weekend continues at Musselburgh on Sunday which focuses more on the young hurdling divisions.

 

The bet365 Scottish Triumph Hurdle sees the early betting centring around southern raiders Group Stage, Goa Lil and Thyme White trained respectively by Alan King, Nigel Twiston-Davies and Paul Nicholls.  

 

Daryl Jacob rids Goa Lil and he carries the colours of Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, the owners who landed this in 2018 with subsequent Grade 1 winner We Have A Dream.

 

Thyme White, second on both hurdle starts at Kempton and Sandown, is the mount of rare Musselburgh visitor Harry Cobden, whose previous seven course rides have yielded a couple of winners.

 

Max McNeill, an owner who spent his early years in Ayr, is represented by Group Stage, a winner on hurdles debut at Ludlow before coming fourth in a hot race at Cheltenham.

 

In the bet365 Scottish Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, the market is dominated by Tom Lacey-trained Sebastopol and Fred, the only runner over the two-days for Nicky Henderson. The Seven Barrows handler has an overall track strike-rate of twelve winners from 42 runners or nearly 30 per cent.

 

Fred was an impressive scorer at Kempton on Boxing Day and looks the very type to enhance his trainer’s already handsome record at Musselburgh.

 

Amateur pilot David Maxwell has just his third ride at the East Lothian circuit in the bet365 Scottish Stayers Novices’ Hurdle on Saint Xavier whom he also owns.

 

The Paul Nicholls-trained gelding has winning form in Grade 3 company in France and hasn’t been disgraced in a Grade 1 event in his native country. His class may well get him over the line in front under his sporting corinthian partner. 

 

It’s worth keeping a close eye on the action over both days as plenty of horses, and not just the winners, have gone on to achieve great things at the likes of Cheltenham and Aintree.

 

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