Bold show expected from Morgan Be at Newcastle

MORGAN BE is on course for a second crack at the totesport.com Eider Chase at Newcastle tomorrow.

Kate Walton’s veteran looked the likely winner of the attritional handicap when cruising to the front two years ago, only to be caught by Merigo in the dying strides.

The 11-year-old warmed up for this year’s renewal with a creditable third at Gosforth Park last month and Walton is expecting another bold show this weekend.

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“He’ll take his chance and he’s in good form with himself,” said the Middleham handler.

“It wasn’t a bad first run back and we’ve purposely not run him again as we wanted him fresh for this race.

“With Comply or Die in there we’ll be running off 10st and hopefully he’ll run very well.”

Nacarat – the brilliant winner of Wetherby’s Charlie Hall Chase – heads a field of 17 for tomorrow’s Racing Post Chase at Kempton.

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Tom George’s grey was victorious in the Grade Three handicap two years ago and was last seen finishing fourth over the same course and distance in the King George VI Chase.

Colin Tizzard’s Hey Big Spender is turned out under a penalty just a fortnight after scoring at Warwick, while the trainer has a second string to his bow in Mount Oscar.

The Paul Nicholls-trained Fistral Beach heads the market.

Donald McCain will not a consider a replacement rider for Champions Hurdle contender Peddlers Cross until stable jockey Jason Maguire’s appeal against a seven-day suspension is heard.

Maguire was handed the ban following an aggressive - and ultimately unsuccessful - ride at Doncaster on the stable’s Cool Mission. runner-up to Beshabar in the three-mile beginners’ chase on Wednesday.

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Ferdy Murphy’s stable jockey Graham Lee could replace Maguire but McCain said: “I’m just hoping things work out for the best. I thought Jason gave the horse a fantastic ride and he’s been a massive part of Peddlers Cross.”

Nicky Henderson says Long Run offers his greatest chance of winning an elusive Cheltenham Gold Cup.

The six-year-old has already fulfilled one of his trainer’s burning ambitions when winning last month’s King George VI Chase at Kempton.

Long Run’s main challenge will be to improve on his record at Cheltenham, having finished third on each of his two course visits. Henderson brushed off those fears.

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“He’s my best by quite a long way, I suspect,” said the trainer. “Marlborough (fourth in 2002) was knocking on the door a bit and I suppose he was as close as we’ve been to having a Gold Cup horse.

“We just haven’t had one.”

Tadcaster trainer Tom Tate’s former Flat performer Laterly has a promising NH career after opening his account over timber at Huntingdon.

Now trained at Louth by Steve Gollings, Laterly is Aintree-bound after his usual trailblazing tactics paid dividends for Northern Racing College graduate Rhys Flint.

“We might have a look for something at Aintree, he might be hard to catch there,” said Gollings.

n Don’t miss an exclusive interview with Harvey Smith in tomorrow’s Yorkshire Post.

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