Dan Skelton has been cruising towards a first British National Hunt Trainers’ Championship title for most of the campaign but that has changed in recent weeks. Willie Mullins’ dominance at both Cheltenham and Aintree means he’s not far behind now and Skelton will be desperate for winners at Ayr this weekend. As such, we’ve combined his three best chances into a treble that is well worth following. Why not check out our free tips page for daily content across British and Irish racing.
Ace Of Spades (11/4, bet365) was gaining with every yard when a good fourth in a valuable race at Kelso last time out and should appreciate the step up to an extended three miles on that evidence. That was also his handicap debut and you would imagine that there’s plenty more to come from this thoroughly unexposed sort.
Asta La Pasta (9/4, bet365) carries top weight here but the form of his third-place finish behind Kalif Du Berlais at Newbury in November now looks very strong. His last two efforts have been a little underwhelming and he will need to improve on those but the handicapper is beginning to respond. Second in a very warm novice handicap at Kempton over Christmas too, he’s probably the one to beat.
Nurse Susan (4/1, bet365) is a useful handicapper and looked in need of the run when finishing very tired in the Martin Pipe at Cheltenham. With that in mind, she’s entitled to improve here and a 1lb lower mark will also help her chances. This eight-year-old finished fourth in the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at the 2022 Cheltenham Festival as well, meaning she has loads of smart form in the book.
If you back any of our selections you can watch them live on the free Racing Post app or racingpost.com. Simply log in to one of your bookmaker accounts and click ‘Watch live’ on the racecards.