MIDLANDS based trainer Dan Skelton is hoping that Deafening Silence can boost his claims of running in the Deafening Silence by winning a trial race at Haydock this weekend.
Skelton’s charge finished third in the Welsh National at Chepstow behind Cheltenham Gold Cup hopeful Haiti Couleurs and is the bookmakers’ favourite to triumph on Merseyside.
Punters looking to find the best free bets in the UK for the Grand National should pay attention to the races in the next few weekends to better understand who’s in form and who’s off the pace.
Having already mopped up several big races this season, Skelton’s stable has become a popular pick with sports bettors across the country.
Aintree could be on the cards for Deafening Silence
Haiti Couleurs franked the Welsh National form in style last weekend, making all the running to secure an impressive victory in the Denman Chase at Newbury.
He is now rated as an 8/1 shot to win the Gold Cup in March, odds which highlight the merit of Deafening Silence’s performance at Chepstow.
With the nine-year-old’s current handicap mark of 133 below the usual cut-off mark for the Grand National, Skelton knows he needs to triumph at Haydock on Saturday.
“I’ve had this race in mind for some time after the Welsh Grand National as he is obviously liking those marathon trips,” Skelton said.
“I think he is in really good form and the track will suit him. How the race cuts up we don’t quite know, but I’m very happy with our horse going into it.
“We have entered him in the Grand National because he is a stayer and if he got in it would be an interesting entry.”
Skelton acknowledged that Deafening Silence needs a lot of horses to come out to get into the Grand National, so it is looking unlikely because of his handicap mark.
“He probably needs to win this quite handsomely to go up enough to get in the race,” he added. “I think the Grand National is a massive step away at the moment, but Saturday could bring it closer.”
Myretown poses a major threat at Haydock
Joint-trainers Michael Scudamore and Lucinda Russell have also set their sights on Haydock with last year’s Cheltenham Festival winner Myretown.
The horse romped home by eleven lengths in the Ultima Handicap Chase and was tipped to take high order in the steeplechasing ranks this season.
However, he fell when leading in the Coral Gold Cup in Newbury before finishing fourth in last month’s Peter Marsh Chase at Haydock after making a bad mistake at the third-last fence.
The horse is around 3-4lb short of where he would need to be to get into the Grand National, so Scudamore is eager to roll the dice this weekend.
“Nothing is definite yet and things can change with the ground, but we all had a chat and we’re slightly leaning towards Haydock,” Scudamore said.
“It’s a good prize-money race in its own right and Derek Fox (jockey) was very positive about him after Haydock last time. It was just frustrating the way things worked out, but he still ran well.
“Most importantly, we were still learning where we were after his Cheltenham success. It looked as if his handicap mark isn’t beyond him if we get a bit of luck and a clear round. Hopefully, he can keep on improving.”
Latest odds
· Deafening Silence – 11/4
· Myretown – 7/2
· Rivers Corner – 5/1
· Git Maker – 8/1
· Richmond Lake – 8/1
· Holokea – 10/1
· Monbeg Genius – 10/1
· Grand Geste – 12/1
· Neo King 16/1
· Gabbys Cross 20/1
· Grand Albert -20/1
· Top Of The Bill – 20/1
Article written by Michael Cage
