Preview of Musselburgh on 1st & 2nd February, 2020.

Published 2020/01/31

The 24-year-old jockey return to where it all started, at the East Lothian venue where she enjoyed her first win under Rules five years ago, when Current Event claimed the Scottish Foxhunter Chase.

In the curtain-raising bet365 Frodon Novices’ Chase, Frost partners Southfield Stone in a race named after the 2017 SCT scorer and the horse that saw her become the first woman to ride a winner over fences at last year’s Cheltenham Festival.

In the £35,000 bet365 Scottish County Hurdle (2.05pm) November course and distance winner Ashington was sent off favourite when third in the Betway Hogmaneigh Handicap Hurdle on New Year’s Day. John Quinn’s Malton raider will be near the head of the market again as he takes on nine rivals, including the New Year day winner, Sir Chauvelin, which races in the colours of Jimmy Fyffe and who will be looking to notch up a fifth course and distance win for trainer Jim Goldie.

Another to watch is Sebastopol, a rare course runner for Ledbury-based trainer Tom Lacey while Bryony Frost gets the leg up on Paul Nicholls’ impressive Kempton winner Miranda.

Well-known owner Carl Hinchy is represented by Nigel Twiston-Davies-trained Locker Room Talk, in the bet365 Scottish Champion Chase (2.40) and who is on a hat-trick following wins at Sandown and Taunton, while top-rated horse is Ruth Jefferson’s Double W’s, a Grade 3 winner at Aintree in 2017.

In the feature race, the £40,000 bet365 Edinburgh National Handicap Chase, Little Bruce, trained by Philip Kirby, is after a third ‘National’ after his wins in the North Yorkshire version at Catterick earlier this month and the Cambridgeshire equivalent last March.

Sam Waley-Cohen, a winning Cheltenham Gold Cup rider on Long Run in 2011, is on board Wonderful Charm, the Scottish Foxhunter Chase winner in 2017 and 2018 for Paul Nicholls, while Brian Hughes, long odds on to be crowned champion jump jockey this term, rides Brian Boranha - the 2018 Durham National winner for Peter Niven who rode on the first Musselburgh jumps fixture in January 1987.

As the Sunday meeting, in the £35,000 bet365 Scottish Triumph Hurdle, Goa Lil, trained by Nigel Twiston-Davies, made all to score at Kempton three weeks ago and is owned by Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, who landed this title in 2018 with subsequent Grade 1 winner We Have A Dream.

The McNeill Family own a few runners on the card and they are represented in this race by the Alan King trained Group Stage, while rare Musselburgh visitor Harry Cobden rides Thyme White for his boss Paul Nicholls.

Jabbaar was a useful horse on the Flat and he impressed on his hurdles debut at Sedgefield on Boxing Day for Carrutherstown trainer Iain Jardine and could do well in the bet365 Scottish Supreme Novices’ Hurdle (2.15), while Irish trainer John McConnell, who enjoys sending runners across to Musselburgh, could go close with Construct who is two from two over hurdles.

Nicky Henderson has fielded Fred, a winner last time out at Kempton on Boxing Day, while course and distance winner Malystic, who romped home by a mighty 17 lengths at Musselburgh in December, represents Peter Niven.