Newbury offers clues to National

Although the Cheltenham Festival is on the horizon, this weekend traditionally holds much more relevance ahead of the big day in Liverpool on 9 April. Indeed, Big Fella Thanks and Niche Market certainly kept to their end of the bargain at Newbury. Both horses pleased respective connections after their latest steps along the route to the National as they followed home Fine Parchment in the Wiltshire County Show Supporting Greatwood Gold Cup at Newbury.

Neither had the requisite speed to threaten Charlie Mann's gelding over his preferred two-and-a-half-mile trip but Ferdy Murphy's Big Fella Thanks, last year's National fourth, shaped particularly well to finish in the same position here.

Niche Market, trained by Paul Nicholls, came home eighth.

Mann is looking at Aintree's Topham Chase for old-fashioned type Fine Parchment (12-1), who just held off the charge of Tail Of The Bank and Swing Bill under the 3lb claimer Peter Toole.

Of Big Fella Thanks, jockey Graham Lee said: "He jumped really well and that run will leave him exactly where you'd want him to be."

Nicholls said of Niche Market: "We knew he'd never have the speed for this sort of race, but he's a good stayer and that was a great run."

National pointers were also the order of the day at Kelso as Skippers Brig floored Ballabriggs in the totesport.com Premier Chase.

Sent off at 8-13, Cheltenham Festival winner Ballabriggs jumped superbly for Jason Maguire, apart from standing off the second-last, and Donald McCain's gelding looked to have done everything right when pinging the final fence.

Nicky Richards' Skippers Brig (3-1) is a classy animal on his day at this sort of trip on testing ground, however, and he showed superior speed on the run to the line to get up for a cosy length and three-quarter success.

Both horses are now set for the National, although there is a chance Skippers Brig could go to Cheltenham first if the heavens were to open.

Greystoke handler Richards said: "It's all ground dependant, if we had a lot of rain we might think about Cheltenham but hopefully we will have a wet National this time."

Despite defeat, McCain was thrilled with Ballabriggs.

He said: "This was a prep for the National and he travelled and jumped great.

"He'll have a gallop somewhere along the line and with a clear round he will run a hell of a race."

Owner-trainer John Wade, meanwhile, could not contain his delight after the victory of Always Right in the Coral-sponsored Grimthorpe Chase at Doncaster.

Wade, who combines training with running his various businesses, is more used to winning relatively run-of-the-mill races in the northeast rather than feature races on Channel 4.

But in Always Right (9-2 favourite) he has a lightly raced horse who could take him to all the big meetings after the former pointer travelled eyecatchingly throughout.

Wade said: "We'll have a look at the Scottish National but the ground might be too fast for him by then."

Over in Ireland on Sunday Benefit Night was a surprise 33-1 winner of the Lucan Racing Leinster National at Naas.

A smart performer some years ago he appeared to have lost his way but Daniel O'Sullivan's 11-year-old bounced back to his best for Davy Condon.

"That's the first time he's had a light weight like that and he loves it around here. He'll probably go for the Midlands National at Uttoxeter now," said O'Sullivan.