Another big Spring Festival has come and gone, that's Aintree and the Grand National done for another year. It is Scottish Grand National this week and it looks set to be the key to the trainer's championship this year again with Willie Mullins now odds-on favourite to claim back to back titles after the events of the past few days. There isn't a lot to shout about on Monday but Kempton plays host to a decent little card that starts late in the afternoon.
18:30, Free Bet With Unibet's Betbuilder Rebound Handicap
Rogue Encore 7/1, 1pt each-way (4 places)
This is a decent handicap over the mile with 12 runners set to take their chance. I like Peter Chapple-Hyam's runner here, Rogue Encore. The 4 year old gelding was down the field in the Spring Mile at Doncaster 9 days ago but he looked in need of the run that day and I expect he'll strip much fitter here. He was upwardly mobile in the Autumn, winning twice at Newcastle before finishing 4th there again at the end of November over a trip probably too short for him now. He's still racing off a fair mark (84) and Luke Morris, who has won twice on him before, now takes back over in the saddle. The clincher for me is that he's well drawn in stall 3 and there's plenty of pace on here for him to track.
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19:30, Try Unibet's New Smartview Racecards Handicap
Noble Victory 8/1, 1pt each-way (4 places)
This 3 year old sprint handicap looks the best race of the night and it has 12 runners contesting it this year which is a big improvement on last year's 3. I think James Tate's unexposed Noble Victory should go well here. He's mightily unexposed as this will be just his 4th career start and first in a handicap. He nearly won on debut at Southwell in January over 5 furlongs but stepped up on that effort to win at Chelmsford in February in a race that has worked out fantastically well as 4 of the placed horses have won since. I don't quite think he was at his best when 3rd of 4 runners at Newcastle in early March and I will forgive him that. Newcastle isn't for every horse and he may have been feeling the effects of a busy start to his life. He's been given a month's break since then and will be ridden for the first time by Billy Loughnane which must be a positive on an evening like this. He's drawn in stall 8 so I suspect he'll be ridden with more restraint than the last day and I think he's handicapped to go close.
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