Horse Racing: Skint looks sure to cash in

With 80,000 in prize money, this is the biggest jumps meeting of the year on the East Lothian track and Skint can get the raid off to a flying start in the opening Scottish Racing Novices Hurdle (1.30pm).

The five-year-old was successful in a bumper on his racecourse debut at Stratford last spring and made a successful start to his hurdling career at Wincanton on his reappearance in November.

He has since been runner-up at Plumpton and on his handicap bow at Kempton and the form of the latter race got a big boost when the third horse home won earlier this week.

Andrew Tinkler did the steering for those two victories and renews the partnership tomorrow when the step back into novice company should see Skint regain winning form.

His stable companion, Titan de Sarti, can open his account in Britain and boost his Cheltenham festival prospects by taking the John Smith's Scottish Triumph Hurdle (2.30pm).

Successful in both his races on the level in France last summer before crossing the Channel in a private deal, he was an excellent fifth on his hurdling bow in a hot contest at Cheltenham and has been runner-up twice at at Newbury.

He was a hot favourite on the latest occasion and seemed to disappoint a little, but the horse who beat him had very good form in Listed company in France and time may show that result to be rock-solid form, so Titan de Sarti can make amends here.

Henderson netted a double on the corresponding card last year and can go one better in the concluding Racing UK National Hunt Flat race (4.40pm) with Dark Shadow.

The four-year-old makes his debut here, but hails from a very good family with big winners both over jumps and on the level. His half-brother was runner-up in a similar race here last year and Henderson has a great record in this type of race at tracks all over the country.Hunterview is another long-distance raider who can carry off some prize money back down south by taking the John Smith's Scottish County Handicap Hurdle (3.35pm) for David Pipe's Somerset yard.

A winner several times on the flat before joining current connections for a hurdling career, he acquitted himself well over timber last term when his victories included a decent juvenile event at Ayr's Scottish National fixture.

The gelding ran well for a long way on his reappearance at Cheltenham before Christmas and was subsequently an excellent third in a competitive event at Exeter last month.

Joe Rowntree's Musselburgh selections: 1.30 Skint; 2.30 Titan de Sarti; 3.35 Hunterview; 4.40 Dark Shadow.