#Veterans' Final

It may have been a race comprised of old favourites but, in keeping with the theme of late, there was a big-price shock in the Veterans' Final at Sandown on Saturday. Wishing And Hoping, one of four teenagers in the line-up, was a 50/1 shot and a shorter price than only one of his 17 rivals, but he rolled back the years to register a…

Messire Des Obeaux: won at the highest level over hurdles Paul Nicholls trained the winner of this race in 2021 and in the previous five runnings was responsible for the favourite. It is doubtful that any of those market leaders were as well handicapped as Magic Saint might be. Less than two years ago, Magic Saint finished second in the Silver…

The veterans' final has always been used as a gateway to big handicaps by a certain few - even going back to its first winner, Soll, who used the race as a Grand National prep. But such runners had been limited to one or two a year - until now. Look down the field of 18 - the biggest ever, if they all go to post - and there are potentially as many…

The New Year has certainly seen an upturn in the fortunes of the Tony Carroll string and that augurs well for the chances of Poetic Force in the 1.10 at Lingfield. He's comfortably the oldest in the field but his efforts at Wolverhampton before Christmas confirm that he's no back number just yet, beaten just a short-head and nose when third in…

Four teenagers feature among the 18 runners in the eighth edition of the Veterans' Final and they will be bidding to emulate Seeyouatmidnight (2021) and Pete The Feat (2017) who both took the prize at 13. Pete The Feat also went close the following season when runner-up to Buywise as a 14-year-old, more than a decade after he had made his debut.…

IT WILL be a proper family affair when Sub Lieutenant lines up in Saturday's Grand National. Former champion amateur Tabitha Worsley will get the leg up on the veteran chaser - who is trained by her mum Georgie Howell and will be led up by her brother. The 12-year-old has been there, done it and is the proud owner of several t-shirts, with 47…

Has flown through the grades since the turn of the year and won the Scottish Grand National like a very well-handicapped mare. Subsequent rise of a stone makes life much tougher now but she jumps, she stays and she's clearly in exceptionally good heart. Has more than held his own over the past few seasons and generally lands on a nice prize each…

The seven-year-old was a smart novice hurdler for Dan Skelton last season, finishing a fine fourth behind The Nice Guy in the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham, and last month's Colin Parker winner Beauport was among two rivals standing in the 13/8 chance's way in the Jewson St Helens Novices' Chase, alongside the Paul Nicholls-trained…

Ballyandy: an encouraging third on his return at Perth The Cross Country Chase which once spearheaded this card is replaced by a veterans' event and we have a former Champion Bumper winner facing a past Welsh National hero in a race packed with old friends. Admittedly, we are winding the clock back to 2016 for Ballyandy's Grade 1 strike and 2018…