Dom Samourai can keep the Martin Pipe bandwagon rolling by landing the £60,000-added Marstons Pedigree Midlands National at Uttoxeter today. There are a host of thorough stayers lining up for this four-and-a-quarter-mile contest but with good ground forecast after a spell of dry weather, the race won't be an out-and-out slog.
The winner will need to be able to kick on and accelerate from his rivals and Dom Samourai has the credentials to do just that.
The seven-year-old has proved a model of consistency this season, winning three-and-a-quarter-mile handicaps at Newton Abbot and Chepstow before being narrowly beaten by Earth Summit in the Coral Welsh National at the latter course.
He gained a richly-deserved bigrace win in the Greenalls Grand National Trial at Haydock last month, galloping on too strongly for his rivals to beat Him of Praise by seven lengths.
Dom Samourai is 8lb higher here but has scope for improvement and looks to have the most solid all-round form in the field.
The unbeaten Listen Timmy will be a popular order in the Ladbroke Handicap Chase but he may have to give way to Cattly Hang.
Jim Leigh's eight-year-old is progressing very nicely and showed plenty of guts to hold off All the Aces at Wetherby last month.
Swanbister has done favourite-backers a good turn on both his last two starts, jumping like a buck. Len Lungo's charge, who could well be targeted at the feature event next season, can complete a hat-trick in the Tote Novices' Chase Final.
Lingfield's £50,000added Teletext Winter Derby has an open look but Ambiguous is the horse in the field who could be a bit special.
David Loder's colt has twice demolished opposition at Wolverhampton and admittedly faces a much stiffer task here.
But he has been impressive in the way he has gone about his work and appears to have been laid out for a tilt at this.
Executive King, who ran Dantes Cavalier to a head at Huntingdon last time, looks banker material in the Press Association Maiden Chase and Royal Shrewsbury should maintain his progress in the Teletext For Racing Novices' Handicap Hurdle.
