THE TONY MARTIN-trained Patsy Hall will be one of the leading players in today's Coral Scottish Grand National at Ayr but the accent at home will be all on speed where Snaefell can score in the Naas feature.
Michael Halford's grey is one of 10 lining up for the five-furlong Woodlands Stakes and, although some of Snaefell's best performances have come at a furlong longer, he does come here in winning form.
There was certainly nothing wrong with the way Snaefell travelled through the six-furlong handicap he won at the Curragh on his last start and fighting on under 9.13 to beat Raptor was a fine performance.
He will again have cross-channel-trained opposition to overcome as Dandy Nicholls sends the course and distance winner Tax Free back to Naas while the former dual Group One winner Reverence also travels.
Reverence was plagued by blood-vessel problems last year and didn't exactly set the world alight on his reappearance at Nottingham. With the two three-year-olds in the race facing a tough task, the in-form Snaefell looks the safest option.
Aidan O'Brien unleashes his first two-year-old runner of 2008 in the five-furlong conditions race and the Dansili colt Peter Tchaikovsky is certainly bred to be able to go a bit.
The unexposed Port Of Spain is another interesting Ballydoyle runner in the seven-furlong handicap but he faces a teak-tough individual in Alone He Stands who overcame racing wide at Leopardstown to win and has just a 3lb penalty for that.
Davy Russell begins his attempt to overhaul Ruby Walsh in the race for the jump jockeys championship at Cork this afternoon where he is taking four rides.
The bet of the afternoon, however, looks to be Citizen Vic who ran into a good horse in Horner Woods on his Navan debut. A repeat of that sort of form should suffice to win the bumper.
At Ayr, much of the 24-strong National field are out of the handicap due to the presence of the topweight Halcon Genelardais but Patsy Hall is less affected than most.
Tony Martin reported yesterday: "Stamina might be an issue with him but he has won over three miles on soft ground before."
The other Irish runner is In The Loop who is trained in Larne, Co Antrim, by Roy Wilson but who is 31lb out of the handicap proper.
